Candle on the Water
by Lux's Sister
Summary: [Co-authored by DuchessKenobi] The Empire has risen, and the only way the northerners of Onderon will survive is to stand together. Families form and fall apart, relationships shift, and the nobles play a higher-stakes game than ever before.
1. Chapter 1

**CANDLE ON THE WATER**

A joint effort by DuchessKenobi and Lux's Sister

…

"Cy, are you sure this is the place Fulcrum told us to come to?" Rayala dropped back the hood that covered her montrals. It felt good to be back in the fresh air after the long space flight.

Cybele kept her hood up looking around the spaceport for the contact they had been told would meet them here. "This is the place. Just be patient, sister."

Rayala rolled her eyes. Her sister might as well have told herself to be patient. Ray was just glad to be here with the prospect of doing something good for the poor beings who fled oppression in their own corners of the Galaxy. She freed her lekku from the cloak as well, trying to make herself more comfortable.

"I don't know if you should…" Cybele began but Rayala cut her off.

"Nonsense. How's our contact supposed to know it's us if we're all covered up in cloaks?"

"Eet ees nice to see a smiling face from Ryloth."

Both girls turned at the sound of the voice heavy with a Ryl accent. That was their code phrase. The voice came from a petite Twi'lek who looked to be about the same age as the sisters themselves. Youth seemed to be the only unifying feature of operatives they had met in their work. Perhaps older beings were too fearful to challenge the system.

"A smiling face is always better than a frown," Rayala cheerfully completed the code before her sister had the chance. Cybele gave her an annoyed glance.

The Twi'lek nodded. "Welcome to Onderon. I am Myat. I will zhow you where you will be staying."

This time Cybele forced her way to the front. "It's very nice to meet you Myat. I'm Cybele Vasha. This is my sister Rayala. We're glad to have a place where we can be of some use."

"Refugees trickle een to our zpace port every day. We do our best to get zem supplies and a place to stay until zey can be relocated." Myat explained as she led them down the city street.

Rayala's eyes and ears were full of the new sights and sounds but she made sure to listen to what their guide was telling them as well. "How do you come by your supplies? Are they donated or do you have some way of purchasing food and other items?"

"Zome of each. We do not turn down 'elp when eet ees offered but we are also attempting to develop methods so zat we might become more self sustainable."

"Like farming? Growing crops?" The idea thrilled Rayala. She had always loved growing things.

"Much of zee flora was burned to zee ground by zee Empire." Myat informed them with a bite to her tone. "But we 'ave begun to replant."

"The fires may have added much needed minerals to the soil. There's a good chance that the fields will be even more fruitful than before!" The togruta was already in planning mode. She thought of what tests might be run on the soil and how they could rotate crops to make the most of the given circumstances.

Cybele was even more practical. "What about security for the beings? You said they had a place to stay. Is there someone making sure they aren't being taken advantage of? Do they have access to health care when they arrive or are there allowances being made for beings who might have infections that they bring with them, to keep from spreading possible contagions?"

"Zo far our efforts are rudimentary. Eef you 'ave knowledge of such zings, anyzing you could share wiz us would be greatly appreciated."

"I'll do my best. That's why we're here." Cybele nodded.

They had stopped in front of a nondescript door in a wall in a dark alley.

Rayala frowned and looked back at the sunlit street behind them. "What is this place?"

"Zis ees where we enter zee tunnels." Myat entered a code into the panel beside the door and it swept open.

"Tunnels?" Rayala shivered and her sister put a fortifying hand on her shoulder, knowing her dislike of cramped, dark places.

Myat smiled with compassionate reassurance. "Zee city above ees so full. Eet ees zee only place where we can accommodate so many newcomers. Eet ees not as bad as you zink." She gestured for them to follow her.

The corridor in which they found themselves was actually well lit and surprisingly spacious.

Rayala still prefered the fresh air and the sunshine but she was relieved that they weren't forced negotiate a damp cavern by torchlight.

"Several years ago zere was a cave-in in zee lower levels. Don't worry eet ees all perfectly sound now. Eet was actually a blessing in disguise. We were able to modernize many of zee older tunnel systems and now 'ave an even larger base of operations."

Cybele ran her finger along the wall and nodded when the digit came away dirt free.

"Eet ees a faster method to get from one side of zee city to zee other. But eet ees also easy to get lost so make sure to follow zee signs or go with someone who ees familiar."

Rayala looked down an adjoining corridor and saw a young man with wavy blond hair. He looked up from what he was doing and smiled. She gave him a shy wave.

"Come along. I won't 'ave you lost on your first day." Myat called back to her and Rayala hurried to catch up.

"Can you get to the gardens or orchards or the land where you plan to plant them from the tunnels?" Rayala asked.

"Yes." Myat smiled. "I can show you after you are settled een zee ladies' dorm."

"Is there a boys' dorm, too?" Rayala asked with a smirk.

Her sister glared at her. "We're not here for romance. We're here to work."

"I don't know. I can't think of a better place to find a life partner who believes in the same cause we do."

Cybele rolled her eyes but Rayala knew her sister did want to marry someday and that she wished to find a mate who would be an equal who she could work alongside.

Myat seemed to share Cybele's sentiment. "Zee ladies' ees secure and private. We do not encourage relationships between workers but eet ees not forbidden either."

Rayala elbowed her sister and whispered, "You worry too much, Cy."

"And you my dear sister don't worry enough." Cybele stopped in her tracks looking down another cross tunnel. She smiled shyly and then hurried on forward.

"What was that about?" her sister asked curiously.

"It was nothing." So she said but the stripes on her lekku turned a darker shade of blue that indicated her embarrassment.

Rayala stepped back and looked around the corner. There was another young man, this one dark and serious. She waved at him as well.

"Come on!" her sister hissed quietly.

Before they reached their destination they were stopped once more by an auburn haired gentleman. His beard was neatly trimmed and though he wore the clothes of a commoner his bearing was almost regal. "Are these our new recruits?" He asked Myat with a smile.

"Yes, Master San Tekka." The Twi'lek nodded. "Sent to us by, Fulcrum."

His face brightened at the mention of the operative as if he had just received news of an old friend. He bowed formally to the sisters, a quaint greeting leftover from a more civilized age. "I'm Lor. Welcome to Onderon."

Myat made the introduction. "Zis ees Cybele and Rayala Vasha."

Both Togrutas said hello.

"When you contact Fulcrum you'll pass on the message that you've arrived safely and are getting settled?" He asked.

"We were on our way to do just zat." Myat politely ushered the girls to continue on their way. Then she smiled benignly back at the gentleman. "Ees zere anyzing you would like for us to pass on to Fulcrum when we next make contact?"

"Me?" He looked around as if she couldn't possibly be talking to him. "No. It's just… it's good to know that someone like Fulcrum is out there in the Galaxy sort of… watching out for us." He excused himself quickly after that.

"Nice to meet you, Lor," Cybelle called after him.

"Does he really know the identity of Fulcrum?" Rayala marveled.

Myat shook her head. "Zere could be numerous operatives zat go by zee name of Fulcrum. I believe Master San Tekka suspects zee identity of zee one who works wiz us most closely."

Cybelle mumbled, "Sounded like he'd like to work closer with Fulcrum."

Rayala giggled.

They completed the journey to the ladies dorm and Myat showed them the locking mechanism for the door, assigned them two beds next to each other, and introduced them to the other women who they would be living with.

Then outside the door they heard a skidding squeak of shoes on duraplast and Myat went out to check what it was.

A male voice asked, "Who's the new girl?"

And another with a laugh, added. "I saw her first."

Myat turned back to look at them with a smile.

"They think there's only one of us." Rayala whispered in wonder. "Do we really look that much alike?"

A Tholothian woman on the bunk beside them huffed. "Humans! They cannot tell anyone not of their own species apart."

Cybele grinned evilly. "We could have some fun with this."

Myat gave them a quick nod of solidarity and a wink. "Mz. Vasha 'as only just arrived. You will meet 'er soon enough."

…

"She was Togruta like Ahsoka." Kason stated the obvious as he and his cousin walked back down the hallway together.

"I know. I saw. And maybe I would have got to meet her if you weren't being such a chirn head." Thias grinned at him.

"Who are you calling a chirn head, chirn head? She was pretty though."

Thias raised his eyebrows. "Ah what's this? Has someone other than Miss Dara Rash-Bonteri finally met up to the standards of my dear cousin?"

"Well, I don't know." Kason huffed playfully. "I couldn't meet her because somebody scared her off into the ladies' dorm before I could even say hello."

"Now." Thias sobered a bit. "Please tell me we're not going to let another girl come between us after what happened the last time?"

"Never my dear cousin. We shall let Miss Vasha make her choice and then _you_ can celebrate _our_ happiness."

"Oh my much younger cousin, Kason, allow me with my vastly greater experience of the world explain to you that it is _I_ who will be the one to find happiness with our beautiful new addition."

"You wanna bet?" There was a gleam in the younger cousin's eyes.

"What's the wager?" Thias inquired, sportsmanlike.

"First one to get… " Kason tried to think of a good enough incentive. "... a kiss from the new girl…"

"Sounds like a nice enough reward in itself." Thias grinned.

"Well then." the younger Blackwell cousin reached his hand out "May the best man win."

Thias shook Kason's hand. "It's hardly a contest, cousin, since you are hardly a man."

"Oh ho like I'm going to let an old man like you hold me back. Just you watch. Before salt and light I will have that kiss."

"We'll see."

They grinned at each other again, slightly more mature than the last time they had argued over a girl and determined to stay friendly in their competition.

Lor San Tekka didn't want to interrupt though his heart did clench at the mention of the name Dara Rash even though that wasn't the name he had known her by. He had already decided to let the sisters have their fun and not give the game away. When he judged the boys to be finished he spoke up. "Kason?"

"Aye?" The younger of the Blackwell cousins turned to him.

"I just wanted to ask you to tell your mother not to worry about your Uncle Brem. He was pretty broken up about Frayl's passing but Sky King's mate Duchess laid a clutch of eggs near the cave so he'll have his hands full with the hatchlings in another week or two."

Kason nodded with a smile. "Aye Sir, I'll be sure and tell her."

"Thank you." Lor turned to go but he heard Thias as he went.

"Did you ever figure out why San Tekka took such an interest in Old Kira?"

Kason shrugged. "Just glad somebody did."

…

" _Papa_?" Lor called out the word in Onderonian as he dismounted from the back of the ruping at the entrance of the cave. His pronunciation of the word was still awkward as was his flying but he was trying, had been trying for five years to live up to her wish. She had asked him to look out for her father and he was doing his best.

"The Blackwell boys say hello."

"Kason and…" Brem tried to recall the other one's name. "Marlon's oldest boy."

"Thias." Lor nodded. "They're in the city for the summer, volunteering at the relocation center."

"Pulling their weight?" He asked as he continued to give the ruping its post flight rubdown. "They didn't just think they were coming down south for a vacation?"

"They're working very hard, a great help to Myat and the others." Lor laughed, "Though they may be a little distracted by the new arrivals."

"Hmm?" Brem had lived for years on his own with no other sentient being to talk to. Now he had grown used listening to this young man prattle on.

"Togruta sisters, though they look very much alike and the boys have only seen one or the other of them, so they've been fooled into thinking that there's only one new female for them to charm."

Brem nodded with smile and then they were both silent for a few minutes before the younger man spoke up again, "They were sent by Fulcrum."

Brem turned and studied the younger man. "Korkie, It might not be her."

Lor San Tekka once known as Korkie Kryze Kenobi turned away from the older man and rung his hands, "I know she's out there and I know she has gone by that name."

Brem patted him on the shoulder in a manner not unlike the way he might attempt to calm one of his beasts. "You heard her say it in one of your dreams?"

"They're not dreams. They're real. She speaks to me." He argued.

"And then she breaks the connection as soon as she realizes it's been made."

Korkie fingered the kyber crystal he wore on a cord around his neck. "That's only because it might be dangerous for her if she were discovered reaching out into the Force." Not to mention it also might bring unwanted notice to Korkie's work searching for artifacts of the ancient Jedi. So far he had been lucky in slipping under the Empire's radar but he knew he wasn't the only one searching for texts and objects belonging to the defunct order.

He had narrowly crossed paths with Saw Gerrera on more than one mission and it was known around the Galaxy that the Empire was on the hunt for Kybers. For what purpose, no one knew.

Bremon Kira ground his teeth together in frustration. "Then perhaps you should let her be to get on with her job so that she might come home to us when she's good and ready."

As much as he hated it Korkie knew that his father-in-law was correct. "Yes, Papa." he agreed obediently in his broken Onderonian. But he would still live for the moments of weakness when his wife came to him in his dreams.

…

We're baaaack!

It may have been a while in the making, but here DuchessKenobi and I are with the long-awaited sequel to _Polaris_ and _Some Say I Got Devil._ We've got Soniee! We've got Korkie and Bremon and Thias and Kason, and all your old favorites coming up quick. And we've got a bunch of new characters we've been just dying to introduce you to.

But enough about us. What do you think about this adventure so far? Please leave your thoughts in the review box, and come to visit us in our forum as well!


	2. Let’s Get Together

**LET'S GET TOGETHER**

Let's get together, yeah yeah yeah

Two is twice as nice as one

Let's get together right away

We'll be having twice the fun

And you can always count on me

A gruesome twosome we will be

Let's get together, yeah yeah yeah!

Seeds have been planted and are taking root. After spending the summer together building a clinic and planting a garden together the Vasha sisters and Blackwell cousins can look to growing something a little more personal for a change.

...

He hefted the large crate and stared at the door to the clinic back office. He took a deep breath and tried to gather his courage. Then he set the crate back down with a thump.

She heard him. "Is someone there? Thias?" Her voice…

Thias Blackwell had once thought he would fall in love with a petite princess with dark flowing locks and a high pitched twinkling laugh. Miss Vasha's voice was more like warm honey poured over freshly baked bread. To hear her say his name made him weak in the knees.

He was already nervous about seeing her again even though he had invented this job specifically for that purpose. He could have sent a droid to bring the crate to their resident nurse practitioner. He could have loaded it on to a hovercart to make the task easier. But no, Thias Blackwell had the brilliant idea to do the thing the old fashioned way.

He was hoping to impress her. It was stupid really. He lifted the crate once again.

"Aye," he squeaked and then cleared his throat. "Yes."

"You can come on in. It's open." She called. Was he imagining the smile he thought the heard in her voice?

She was not smiling when he entered, though he had a feeling she had wiped the expression from her face before he could see it. She didn't look up at him. Her full concentration was on the stims she was preparing to inoculate the latest batch of refugees to arrive at the center.

"You can just put it there." She gestured towards a spot on the table.

He deposited the crate where she indicated a little heavier than he had intended.

"Careful with that." She looked up at the sound of tinkling transperisteel and Thias jumped back out of her way as she left what she was doing and hurried to check the contents of the delivery.

"I was as careful as I could be." Was he, though? He hadn't really considered what was in the crate, just where it needed to go and who in particular it needed to go to.

She opened the lid and extracted a few vials. Then she bestowed upon Thias her beautiful violet lipped smile. "It's alright. Nothing is broken and it looks like everything I ordered is here." She dipped her head slightly in formal appreciation. "Thank you."

"I was glad to do it." He gushed and then straightened up in manly indifference. "And it was, you know, on my way. It was nothing really."

She returned to her unpacking. "Wow! This stuff will really help out."

Thias was pleased that she was pleased. He didn't have any intention of leaving the clinic anytime soon for all his bluster of only being on his way to somewhere else. "What is it?" He asked curiously or just in an effort to hear her speak some more.

"Medicines." She smiled glad of his interest. "Stronger than what we have at present. I'm having to do a lot of recalculating of dosages for the various sizes and metabolisms of my patients."

"You're amazing with them!" He praised her. "I mean you've had some tough customers and you treat them all with compassion. But you're firm and don't take any lip." He smirked. "Except for that Duros but I guess they don't have any lips."

She grinned at the joke. "I try to show them that I only want what's best for them even if it means a moment of pain from an injection or a nasty tasting medicine."

"Well, you're great at it." He saw that she was putting some of the items onto a high shelf that she could barely reach and so jumped up to assist her.

She nodded and allowed him to help.

He went on while he worked. "I bet you could even handle some of the roughneck sailors up north." He reached for the next container but instead his hand brushed against hers.

They both looked up in surprise. The stripes of her lekku darkened prettily but he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. He focused again on her hand and remarked, "They're very clean."

"W-what?" she mumbled.

He held her delicate blue fingers as if she were more breakable than the vials they had just been putting away. He found he didn't want to let go. "Your… fingernails." he stammered. "With all the work out in the garden I would have thought there would be dirt. But there's no… you keep them very clean here in the lab."

Her eyes widened as if he had caught her off guard. "Well, I wouldn't want their to be any contamination." She drew her hand away jerkily and then changed the subject. "What is it like up north where you're from?"

"It's colder than it is here but the snow and ice can be beautiful in the winter," he told her honestly.

"And the sea?" she asked.

"Oh the sea!" He leaned back against the counter and sighed contentedly. "Sometimes it's calm and smooth and as blue as…" He was distracted for a second by the asure hue of her skin. "And then other days it's gray and angry and the ships' crews have to fight just to keep afloat."

She stood with her arms crossed over her chest, not quite believing but interested in what he had to say. "You make it sound like a sentient being with changeable moods and actions to go along with them."

"Aye. The sea is very like a woman with an unpredictable personality." He smirked and then looked down at his hands as a blush rose in his cheeks and he attempted to master his emotions. "That's probably why so many sailors fall in love with her. You could study all your life and never learn everything about her."

"And yet you left her to come here to volunteer at the center for the summer?" Miss Vasha prodded.

"Well, we can't always be caught up by our own hopes and desires." He allowed himself to gaze at her for a full half a second and then returned to his more teasing tone. "Besides someone had to come along to look after my young cousin Kason."

She laughed. "How selfless of you."

Thias gave her a mock bow.

"I think I'd like to see your northern sea some day if it's as wonderful as you make it out to be."

"Oh it is!" He assured her. "And never a dull moment. Well, I don't know maybe for a healer it wouldn't be. It's not as exciting as Iziz with all the variety of patients to practice on. We're mostly human in the north and mostly suffer from bumps and bruises, maybe a splinter or a little nausea for the landlubbers or during a storm."

Again she laughed at his description.

Salt gods Thias loved her laugh. He would love to spend the rest of his life making her laugh. But… "Miss Vasha… I'm sorry if it's forward of me or if it's a … thing in your culture. Could I call you by your name?"

"It's Cybele." She answered without a second thought, then she paused before she added with a shrug. "Cy to my friends."

"Are we friends?" He hoped.

"Yes." She chuckled again. "I was only going by my formal name because…"

"Good." He broke in before he lost his nerve. "Because, Cy, I was meaning to ask you if you'd like to come…"

"Yes, I'd love to…"

"... out to lunch with me?"

She stared at him for a second and then burst into laughter hands over her mouth and lekku stripes turning an even brighter blue.

"You thought I meant to visit the Northern Sea?" he surmised mirthfully.

She nodded, unable to speak for laughing at her own mistake.

"Well, if you really want to." He looked thoughtful. "I do have a position open for a ship's surgeon." Was he joking now? Not really. He would like to share his love of sailing on the open sea with her.

With another chuckle she mastered herself. "You're serious." She paced the length of the table and back running her fingers along the edge as she considered. "Our assignment at the center will be up in a couple of weeks…" Then she studied him almost gravely. "But, I couldn't go without my sister."

"Your sister?" She had a sister? Well maybe they could introduce her to Kason and then…

"You've already met her." Cybele's expression turned mischievous. "I believe she's in the orchard with your cousin right now."

"Your sister?" he said again as the realization dawned on him. "Miss Vasha. Miss Cybele Vasha and Miss…"

"Rayala Vasha." She supplied her sister's name

.

"You're twins?" he asked.

"No, but people do often get us confused. She's a year younger than I am."

"And so… all this time…" He couldn't help himself. He took her hand and once again examined her immaculate blue fingernails.

"While Ray has enjoyed her summer planting trees and getting her hands dirty with your cousin, I have enjoyed very much spending time with… you, Thias."

He grinned. "He has no idea, does he?"

"Well you didn't either."

"I want to be there when he finds out!" He was like a kid on salt and light. "Can I be the one to tell him?"

Suddenly her expression turned to a frown. "You don't think he'll be angry, do you, that we played our little trick?"

"Angry? I think he'll be thrilled that we don't have to fight over you!" Thias squeezed her hand that he was still holding.

"You wouldn't truly fight over us? We'd never want to come between family…"

"Cybele, you must know that you are every bit worth fighting for."

"Thias Blackwell, you always make me laugh." But she wasn't laughing now.

"I'm serious! You're smart and kind and…" he was sure he had a dopey grin on his face, "beautiful."

Her gaze dropped demurely to their joined hands and she squeezed his with her own. "You're not so bad yourself, for a human."

He wanted to kiss her and not just because of some stupid contest with his cousin. Whatever this was however, was too important to mess up with an all too brief moment of pleasure. Salt gods he must be growing up if he was thinking that far into the future. Wouldn't Dalla be proud?

Come to think of it, he couldn't wait to introduce Cy to Dad and Dalla and Aunt Shara and Uncle Jamos. They were going to love her. Just like he did.

"Let's go find Kase and your sister!" he suggested.

She bit her lip and looked at the work she'd left unfinished on the table. "Just as soon as I'm done here."

"Alright. What can I do to help?"

She put him to work and he was a willing servant.

…

With Cybele focused on the health and wellbeing of the refugees and Rayala beginning her project with the orchard and gardens it was relatively easy for them to continue the ruse that there was only one young female togruta to have joined the mission organization recently. They both seemed to find their niche and a measure of satisfaction in their work along with many new friends. The girls from the dorm all thought it was a great game to make sure that the boys specifically the Blackwell cousins didn't see the sisters in the same place at the same time.

That particular afternoon Rayala worked with Kason Blackwell in the garden and she dug her hands into the rich earth with a smile of contentment.

"My mother enjoys growing things too." He told her.

"Really? I didn't think much would grow in your cold climate up north." She remarked curiously.

"Oh aye. Of course she use to live down here in the south. But when she went up north and married my dad they built our greenhouses together. It was kind of a project they could share." He brought over a water vessel and poured just the right amount on the newly planted sprout. "I'd love to introduce you to them some day."

"I'd love to meet them" she smiled and her lekku darkened.

His cheeks reddened and boldly he leaned forward and kissed her cheek before he backed away again not wanting to scare her.

Rayala looked back down at the plants.

 _That didn't count for the bet,_ he thought to himself, _but it was still something_. He bet Thias hadn't gotten that far with the pretty Togruta girl. How could he when she had been spending all of her time here with Kason?

She loved spending time with Kason too. She liked his easy humor and his kindness and she was fascinated with his golden blond hair. Rayala and her sister, of course, being togruta had no hair and she had always found the concept intriguing.

Kason managed to keep his cheeks and chin shaved smooth but he must not have had anyone to cut the hair on his head while he and his cousin were down in Iziz to work for the summer and it had grown long. She didn't mind. She thought he was dashing, crowned with a mane the color of sunshine.

While he was working his fringe often fell into his eyes and if his hands were busy he would just toss his head to shake the locks out of his way or try to blow them. When she got brave enough, Rayala reached out to sweep his hair out of his line of vision. He immediately stopped what he was doing and stared at her intently.

"I'm sorry." She drew her hand away. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, of course not. Why would you think that?" he seemed entranced by her.

She looked away, embarrassed. "Well, I touched… without your permission and your reaction…"

"Oh," he frowned trying to understand and then ventured, "Hair doesn't have nerve endings. That's why it can be cut. You can't hurt it by just touching it. Well… I suppose if you pulled it might hurt my scalp but that's not exactly the same thing." A small smile began to work at the corners of his mouth. "Would you like to touch it?"

Rayala hesitated, bit her lip and then nodded shyly. She reached out her hand again and he bowed his head slightly to meet her. She ran her fingers through the thick blond strands growing braver as she cupped the back of his head and he looked up to smile at her. "It's beautiful." Maybe that wasn't the proper adjective but she was trying to think of something to say. "So soft. I really didn't know what to expect."

Kason cleared his throat. "I know it might be forward of me Miss Vasha but I've always been a bit curious too. Would you mind? Could I…"

"I… don't think I would mind…" she said brokenly even as her mind was screaming _yes!_

He was terribly gentle. His fingers just barely grazing the skin of her _tchun_. Her eyes closed and she trembled. She wondered if he truly understood that the simple caress was almost more intimate than any kiss. He did seem to sense the gravity of his request and her acceptance.

And then the moment was shattered by the shriek of her sister's voice in their native tongue. " _Rayala Li Vasha! How dare you allow this boy to touch you that way? And out here in the open where anyone could see. You disgrace yourself. What sort of monster is this human boy that he would conceive of such a display?_ "

Rayala stood up to her sister, leaving poor Kason sitting stunned on the ground. She spoke in Basic for the benefit of those around them and she noticed that Kason's cousin Thias was standing a bit behind Cybele not succeeding in covering the hilarity he found in the situation. "Kason is my friend and he has acted as nothing but a gentleman. He allowed me to … touch his hair and he was curious and I allowed… I… I wanted him to… He would never take advantage." Not only had her coloring darkened in a togruta blush but also the tips of her lekku curled tightly in agitation.

Kason jumped up. "That's true. I would never hurt her, never presume to make her feel uncomfortable." He looked back and forth between them and then couldn't help but state the obvious. "There's two of you."

"The look on your face, Kase." Thias doubled over in laughter. That is until Cybele looked back at him sternly and he straightened right up to attention but there was still a smile on his face. "Never would have guessed there was one for each of us until Cy let me in on the joke."

His familiar use of her shortened name caught Rayala off guard and she glared askance of her sister.

Cybele, suitably flustered, admitted, "Thias Blackwell has been assisting me with my nursing duties. He admired my work with the patients and asked if I might consider becoming an on-board nurse on his ship when I finished with my rotation here. I… I told him it wasn't just a question of myself but that I also had to think of… my sister."

"You're sisters." Again Kason stated the obvious.

Rayala turned to look at him and shrugged. "Yes." His hair was askew and she reached up to straighten it for him without a second thought.

He beamed at her. "Well if… Cy?" he glanced at the other sister.

"Cybele," she corrected.

"And I'm Rayala," Ray informed Thias.

Thias grinned and took Cybele's hand in his. "Aye. She told me."

Kason sighed and begun again. "If Cybele wants to go north," He studied Rayala again hopefully, "You could come up and meet my parents."

She looked down and noticed that he had also taken her hand in his. Then she looked up into his blue eyes again. "I'd like that very much."

…

"Do you love Thias?" Rayala asked her sister as the two of them stood together at the rail of _Sailor's Valentine_. Neither of the togrutas had suffered any sea sickness thanks to the extra ballance afforded to them by the sensory acuteness of their hollow montrals. They had laughed when Thias told them the story of Senator Bonteri's first voyage.

"I've grown very fond of him. I don't know that it's love… yet." Cybele looked out over the waves smiling.

"But you did agree to come on this trip north with him." Rayala prodded.

Cybele sighed. "I like the idea of the job he offered me as ship's nurse. And… I know that my sister loves his cousin and I couldn't let her come up here alone."

"Is it that obvious?"

"You wear your heart on your sleeve, Ray. You always have. He loves you, too. I think he might have liked if he could be the one sharing your cabin instead of me."

Her lekku stripes darkened but she grinned. "We haven't done anything really other than kissing and I was trying to explain to him how sensitive our Lekku could be."

Cybele laughed. "He had you practically purring like a nexu."

"Cy!"

"I'm only trying to look out for my baby sister."

"Baby sister? I'm only a galactic standard year younger than you are."

"I know. Hey I…" she sobered again. "I wanted you to know. I did some checking. It might change your mind. It might not."

"What is it?"

"Well it's… you and Kason are getting pretty serious. Thias and I might be too. I mean meeting their families…"

"Cy! Just spill it!"

"It's just that they are human and we're togruta."

"Kason said he was sure his parents wouldn't mind that."

"It's not that, Ray. I don't think we will be physically able to have children with them."

"Oh." Now it was Rayala's turn to stare out at the waves.

Cybele put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "It's not as big a deal for me. I'm okay with not having kids if Thias is. But I know you've always… wanted to have a family."

"Have you told him yet? Thias, I mean."

"No, we haven't even discussed making any kind of formal commitment to each other."

"You mean getting married," Rayala rolled her eyes.

Cybele smiled guiltily. "If he's still interested after I tell him about this, maybe I'll ask him." She wasn't the type to wait around until a guy she liked proposed to her. She went quiet then and gave her sister's hand a squeeze before she started to walk away to another part of the deck.

Rayala turned to see why and found Kason sidling up next to her. "I'm glad you're taking so well to being on the water. Sailing is such a big part of my family's lives."

"It's a big family isn't it?" She took a deep shaky breath and looked back out at the sea.

He must have noticed that something was wrong but he didn't question her yet. "Aye. I told you about my brothers and my little sister. Mom and Dad will be at the Hold also and my Uncle Marlon, that's Thias's dad, and his brother and sister Cade and Dalla. Though who knows if Cade will be around. He's off sailing so often. And if he's gone then my brother Emoth might be with him. Those two are inseparable."

"You call them Double Trouble," she remembered, having controlled her emotions at least for the moment she was able to turn and look at him. When she did so, however, it just made her wonder if his feelings for her might change if he knew….

"Aye. They've always kind of been the twins in the family, born so close together." He took her hand in his and seemed to study her fingers. "Kind of like you and your sister."

Rayala drew her hand away and set it back on the rail and looked back at the waves. She wanted to tell him but instead what came out of her mouth was, "Cy and I had a brother once."

"You had a brother? What was he like?" It sounded as if he wanted to ask why she had never mentioned him before. Well she was mentioning him now. Maybe because it was nowhere near what she actually wanted to say.

"He died." She told him. "He was killed. When Cy and I were young our family, our whole clan actually, were kidnaped by Zygerian slavers."

"You were a slave?" Kason was instantly all worry and compassion.

She hurried to reassure him. "Not for long, and Cy and I were actually treated very well for the short time we were there. We were told that when the bad men came to our village that our family ran away and abandoned us. They must have gotten a holo of the two of us crying at the news and then after that we were given food, pretty clothes. We were told our rescuers were going to find us a new family. We would be able to stay together and if we were good and learned our lessons then our new family would want us very much and would never want us to leave them."

"They were going to sell you." Kason took her hand again.

"I guess they thought they could get more for us as a matched set, trained from a young age to be loyal to our new… family." She shuddered.

Kason wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer.

Feeling comfortably safe next to him, Rayala continued. "The rest of our clan weren't treated so well and they were told if they didn't submit that Cy and I would be hurt. They were shown some sort of doctored images of us. But it didn't really work. Seeing us supposedly in danger is what made our brother want to fight back to try to rescue us. They hit him with an electro-whip. They didn't know he had a weak heart. He died almost instantly."

Her voice was dull. She had never actually experienced this part of the story. She and Cybele had only been told what happened later on.

"How did you get free?"

"Cy and I didn't know we needed to be free but someone had called in the Jedi. Three of them and a Clone Captain came undercover to free our people. I don't know the whole story of how they did it. The two of us were being kept somewhere away from the rest of the slaves. I'm sure our mother must have put up a fuss to be rescued without her children especially after losing Ryon. Anyway one of the Jedi, she was young, a togruta like us, came back to get us. Cy thought she was great. She said she wanted to be a Jedi when she grew up. Maybe that's why Cy became a healer…"

"Ahsoka," Kason realized. "You mean Ahsoka Tano!"

"Yes, that was her name." Rayala smiled. "She said she was going to bring us back to our family. She spoke to us in Togruti. Told us not to be afraid. After all we had been told about our family not wanting us it was confusing. I guess the slavers had already started conditioning us to look to them as the good guys. It wasn't easy to be taken away from that. I was afraid of the clones and the older jedi. His face was covered with a mask so he could breathe." She tried to remember. "Plo Koon? He was Kel Dorian. Ahsoka said he needed the mask because their home planet had a different kind of atmosphere. I was afraid that's where they were going to take us and we wouldn't be able to breathe or they would make us wear masks."

"Ahsoka?" Thias came up behind them and wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders. "We met her when she was here during the war. She pulled me back through a window with the Force once when I was trying to run away to rescue Kase from the palace."

Cybele put a hand on his arm in an attempt to drag him away from the other couple and let them have some privacy to finish their conversation. "Did you really try to rescue your cousin singlehandedly? I don't know whether that was completely brave or completely stupid."

"Probably stupid." Thias shrugged, grinning at his girl.

She shook her head and mouthed, 'sorry about the interruption.'

Kason watched them go and then turned back. "I'm so glad Ahsoka found you and your sister."

Rayala nodded but her regular easy going smile had faded.

"Ray? What's wrong?" He took her hand and studied her with concern filling his gaze.

She hesitated for another few seconds and then it burst out of her. "Cy thinks humans and togruta might not be compatible to conceive children."

Even laid out that plainly it took him another few seconds to take in her meaning. "Oh."

"I know we have never even spoken about marriage or starting a family but it does seem to be the direction we might be headed and if that's the case I don't want you to be in any doubt of the truth. I mean if you wanted a family and I couldn't give you one then we should probably not go any further. I'll go back to Iziz when this visit is over and I don't know maybe stay with Myat? I'd like to still stay on the planet if Cy is going to be sailing with Thias as ship's nurse or whatever she's going to be…"

He put a stop to her tirade with a kiss and then held her face close to his so he could look her in the eyes. "I do want to marry you and frankly I'd like for us to have some time to ourselves before we even think about kids." He kissed her again for effect. "Not that I wouldn't like to have kids with you. I think you'd be an amazing mother."

Her smile was sad. "But what if she's right? What if we can't?"

"We'll find a way. When we're ready to be parents we can adopt. My mom thought she wasn't going to be able to have kids before she married my dad. She had all kinds of tests done to find out and my dad stood right by her and supported her. They were a team throughout all of it. And as parents they're still an amazing team. You're going to love them and they're going to love you. Unless…" He faltered. "Unless _you_ would rather be with someone who could give you children."

"No Kason, I want you. I love you." She laughed through tears.

"I love you, too. Hey, Ray, is there anybody I need to ask for permission to marry you? Your mother or father or Cy? I wanna do this right. On Onderon we have to have a family representative present at the saying of vows to make it legal. It could be a big ceremony with flowers and music and lots of guests or it could be just an informal thing with each of us bringing along a witness. We could do it just with Thias and Cy I suppose or…"

"Flowers!" she laughed. "And my parents. And my clan! We were always close, especially after rescue from Zygerria."

"When should I comm them to ask, then?"

"Why not now? We'll tell them together." She looked back toward the door down into the hold of the ship where the comm room was located. Thais and Cybele stood watching them, blocking their way.

"Well," Cybele asked, hands on her hips. "What's the verdict?"

"Aye." Thias frowned sternly trying to act the much more mature cousin and responsible ship's captain. "Did you pop the question?"

"Not exactly." Kason grinned.

"We sort of just both agreed." Rayala gazed up at him happily.

"But I do want to speak to your family and clan and ask their permission." Kason told Cybele a little more seriously.

"And we should ask your parents too." Rayala agreed.

"Well, we're on our way there and I already told them Thias and I are bringing home a surprise."

"Do you think that will be alright?"

He laughed. "I told you they're going to love you."

"So, Cy." Thias turned to the togruta beside him. "Are we going to let these two have all the fun?"

"Why, Thias Blackwell, is that a proposal?" Cybele asked him.

He shrugged. "Just figured if we were going to drag your whole clan out for a wedding we might as well make it worth their while. Two for one weddings at the Hold. You sisters do everything else together and we could save credits on…"

Cybele grabbed him and pulled his face down to hers. "Shut up and kiss me, Thias Blackwell."

He gladly obliged. When they broke apart, he laughed. "So that was a yes, aye?"

Rayala was practically jumping up and down. "Let's comm the clan now!"

"Before this idiot thinks better of the idea." Cybele elbowed Thias.

Thias raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, I think it's the best idea in the history of the galaxy."

"So do I." Kason stared starry eyed at Rayala and squeezed her hand.

...

Thank you all for reading and in DK's words, please review so we don't die of review starvation!


	3. Where the River Meets the Sea

**WHERE THE RIVER MEETS THE SEA**

 _"_ _Lux's Sister," said I, to her._

 _And she answered, "Yes, my dear, DuchessKenobi?"_

 _"_ _How do you think it would be if we introduced these fine readers to yet another couple of couples?"_

 _"_ _I think it would be a fine idea, DuchessKenobi."_

 _And, I added with a wink, "And didn't we promise that this story might contain the further misadventures of those wiley Bralykburns?"_

 _"_ _I believe we did at that."_

 _"_ _Then let us invite our readers to enjoy the next chapter of our continuing saga."_

 _"_ _Yes, let's."_

…

Kayla watched from the tower window of Bralyk Keep until her father's ship was out of sight over the waves. Then she turned and ran down the steps to the room she shared with her twin sister. "Come on, Kora, we'll miss the tide!" She picked up the bag that she had already packed with her sketchbooks and paints and charcoal and pop-up easel.

"And why are we doing this again?" Kora paused the holo she'd been watching and rolled over on her bed.

Kayla grabbed her arm and yanked her sister up to stand. "Because it's a spot I've always wanted to paint and if we hurry we can get there when the light is just perfect and then we can get back before anyone misses us!"

Kora sighed. She'd been looking forward to their father's absence so that she could lounge around the Keep and do nothing at all. An impromptu voyage to some hunk of rock her sister thought was pretty was not in her itinerary. "Alright, but after we get back I want to binge this entire season without interruption till Talia comes to pick us up for her visit."

"I promise!" Kayla squealed. "I thought we could go out the kitchen door and grab some snacks on the way for the journey."

…

"Kayla!"

It was more of a shriek then a yell but the artist, totally focused on the piece on her easel, didn't know what the fuss could possibly be about. "Did we grab the wrong kind of crackers?"

"It doesn't matter what we grabbed now, Kay!" her sister steamed, marching back up the beach. "The food is all gone!"

"Gone? How could it be gone?" Finally Kayla looked away from the landscape she was capturing. At first she didn't notice anything amiss. "Gulls get into it or something?" She wiped off her brush on a cloth.

"Well, I have no way to tell." Kora huffed. "The skiff is gone! _You_ didn't tie it up properly!"

That got Kayla's attention and no mistake. "But I did!" Kayla dropped her brush and ran down to the water's edge. "I'm sure I did! We both got out and you said you were going to go ahead up the path to find a spot in the shade and I stayed back to gather my supplies and…" and she was only going to set up the easel and come right back to tie up the boat but she'd wanted to start on her sketch right away and she got distracted. "Kora, I am so sorry."

"Sorry?" The older twin was pacing now. "Sorry doesn't make up for it! That boat was our way home! We're stuck here, Kayla, with no way back to the Keep, and no food!"

"I'm sorry." Kayla said again, now nearly in tears. "Salt gods, I'm so sorry!"

Kora sighed and drew her frightened twin into her arms for a hug. "It's... grr" It _was_ Kayla's fault, and it wasn't okay, but what else was she supposed to say. "Someone will sail by. We'll flag them down. I'll get us out of this."

"Okay." Kayla sniffed and wiped her tears on her sleeve. "The best view of the surrounding sea is up where I've got my things set up." She hurried there herself, determined to be the first to sight their rescuers. Even though she hadn't seen another craft all day. It was one of the reasons she liked this spot. It was so secluded. Another ship might not come by for weeks. They hadn't told anyone where they were going! And Papa was on his way to Iziz!

The glare of the sun on the waves made Kora's head ache and Kayla had taken to sketching distractedly between sweeping scans of the sea. It seemed like hours but it had probably only been about twenty standard minutes when Kora perked up. "There! Is that something or are my eyes playing tricks?"

Kayla's gaze shot up from her sketch guiltily. She squinted in the direction Kora was pointing. "Aye! It's a sail! Maybe it's Papa! Maybe he came this way to get a catch before he headed south!"

Kora rolled her eyes before she began jumping up and down and waving her arms to alert the still distant vessel. "You really want Papa to catch us out here after we sailed without his permission?"

"Maybe he'd just take us on south with him rather than going back to the Keep." Kayla was always fishing for an excuse to go to the city. She stepped up her own signaling efforts, trying to make up for her previous failure and yelled at the ship that seemed to be turning in their direction even though they couldn't possibly hear her from that distance.

Then she noticed the color of the banners flying over the white sails, blue with a black ship at the center. "Oh my salt gods! Kora, it's the Blackwells! Papa's going to kill us!"

Kora was so angry, and relieved that someone had sighted them, she didn't care. "Beggars can't be choosers, Kay. And Papa's going to kill _you_ is what you mean. None of this was my idea." The ship was now definitely moving closer but she continued to flag it down.

…

The _Beast's Ride_ had already come across the skiff. The red banner with the blue stream atop the single short mast made it obvious who's house the craft belonged to but Captain Cade Blackwell was fairly sure the Lord of the Keep didn't generally make voyages in such a modest vessel. Nor would Hugo Bralykburn have been quite so lax about letting such a thing just float away.

Cade and his crew weren't technically supposed to be fishing in waters this close to the Keep but they'd heard rumors over the comm that the Lord's flagship was sighted heading south on one of his regular trading voyages and while they were in the neighborhood Double Trouble couldn't resist the temptation not to cause a little mayhem. It was just supposed to be a little prank: get close enough for Comm Officer Emoth Blackwell, hacker extraordinaire, to scramble their comms a little and then then they'd light out.

But that was before they'd found this skiff adrift and the young captain decided to do the decent thing and tie it alongside. From the looks of the contents it wasn't meant to be a long voyage. There was a picnic lunch but not much else. Someone out on a day trip? There was no sign of a struggle.

"I'd wager whoever it was wasn't a very good sea scout." Emoth held up the mooring rope that had been left dangling in the water when they found the boat.

"You think somebody might be stranded on one of these islands then?" Cade started to grin. He and his cousin could practically read each other's minds.

"Maybe a couple of damsels in distress just waiting around to be rescued." Emoth suggested with a shrug.

Of course old Hugo never sent a Salt and Light card to Blackhold anymore like he did when he was married to his second wife who had been a friend of Aunt Shara, but Talia Harkon did like to send pictures of the twins occasionally just so Emoth's mother could see how they were getting along. And they did seem to be getting along quite well.

Cade nodded. He wouldn't mind at all running into the reportedly lovely Bralykburn twins. "If it's not them it could still be a chance to stick it to old Hugo for allowing such stupidity in his ranks."

"Or…" Emoth smirked. "A chance to prove to the ladies of the Keep what noble characters we are for returning members of their house to their very docks without a scratch on their miserable hides."

"I'm sure they'd be eternally grateful either way."

…

It wasn't long before they saw signs of life on a little outcropping of stone that was hardly an island but a beautiful spot nonetheless. Emoth handed the quadnocks to Cade after he had gotten a look at the castaways for himself. "Well, it's them alright."

"Would you care to join me for the landing party, Cousin?"

"Wouldn't miss it."

...

Kora's sight zeroed in on the captain's insignia as the two officers jumped out of their row boat and pulled it far enough onshore so that it wouldn't be in danger of following the path of the wayward skiff. Kayla hung back, a bit guiltily. Of course the girls had heard of the double trouble Blackwell boys but they had never thought they would chance to meet them, especially not like this.

The four young people did nothing but stare at each other for some time until one of the gentlemen broke out in a laugh. "Hello, I'm Captain Cade Blackwell. This is my cousin, Comm Officer Emoth Blackwell. We'll be your rescuers on this fine afternoon."

"I don't know how we can ever thank you." Kora impulsively stepped forward, stood up on her tiptoes and kissed Cade on the cheek.

"Well, that's a start I suppose." The captain looked back at his cousin and winked. "Can I ask who it is we might be rescuing?"

Kora rolled her eyes. "Oh, aye, of course. I'm Kora Bralykburn and this is my sister Kayla."

Kayla nodded but didn't speak and the other boy, Emoth gave her a bashful grin. She wondered if he expected a kiss as well, but he also stayed silent.

"How did you come to be in this predicament, the two of you young ladies out here all alone?" Cade inquired, roguishly.

"We're old enough to be sailing on our own, if that's what your getting around to." Kora answered him just as brash. "We turned 16 last month. It's just my _younger_ sister had a little problem with getting our boat tied up correctly."

Kayla dropped her gaze to the rocks at her feet. "Just got a little distracted, is all."

"Not your fault." A new voice, deep and friendly, made her look up again. "Could have happened to anyone."

"I wanted to get right to my painting as soon as we got here. I… paint." She explained, finishing rather lamely.

"It's a nice spot." Cade spoke up again, grinning at Kora. "Beautiful view."

"There's a sort of interesting cavern I found, if you'd like me to show you." Kora beaconed to him. "It's back here."

"Please, lead the way." He followed her eagerly.

They made small talk as they walked, leaving the other two alone on the beach. But soon the sounds of their speech faded into the sounds of kissing.

Emoth tried to ignore it. "So you paint?"

"Aye." Kayla nodded.

He wondered if he should ask to see her work or if she would offer. What if it was bad? Should he lie and say it was good? What if it was good but he said the wrong thing? He wasn't really a connoisseur of art. He knew an artist had come to the Hold before he was born and painted his parents and Kase and Uncle Marl and Aunt Lana and their kids, but that had been before his Momma found out she was pregnant with him.

Still he should say something. He opened his mouth to ask about her hobby.

"Don't you want to kiss me, Emoth?" Kayla Bralykburn asked shyly, making him lose his entire tram of thought.

He almost couldn't hear her over the sound of his cousin and her sister making out deeper in the sea cave. "Aye, I suppose I do." He replied nervously. His fingers fidgeted as if he had a datapad or a game controller in his hands. Did she mean she wanted him to kiss her? Wires and circuits were so much easier to figure out than girls or women. She had said she was 16 now. She could captain her own ship, get a drink at the pub… He could get her a drink at the pub. He wondered if she would like that.

"I'm glad." She said. "I thought maybe you'd like my sister better, her being blonde like your Lady mother. Most boys do. Your cousin certainly seems to."

She was rambling and then she seemed to be waiting for him to respond again. "No." He let out a frustrated breath and wished Cade and Kora weren't quite so loud. He wished he were better with girls. Maybe that came along with his cousin's beast mastering skills. "I like you better." He attempted a grin like his father's. Everyone said he looked like Jamos, more than any of his brothers. At 18 he was the tallest of all of them but Momma thought Arkon might catch him up in another year or two.

That reminded him. "Are you coming to my brother's wedding? I mean would you like to go… with me… as my date?"

She smiled at him and he thought his heart would burst. "It's to be a double wedding isn't it? Your cousin Thias is also getting married?"

"Aye." His grin really did resemble his father's cheeky expression now. "Cousins marrying sisters, how about that?"

She laughed and a little more of his resolve melted. He moved closer to her and decided to throw his sheets to the wind. "Do you want me to kiss you, Kayla?"

"Salt gods, Aye!" She closed the last few centimeters between them and as soon as their lips met, he was lost forever.


	4. Back to Manda’yaim

**BACK TO MANDA'YAIM**

 _"_ _But dear DuchessKenobi, we did promise the readers there would be politics. We even wrote it in the blurb," I said after we finished the preceding chapter._

 _"_ _Yes, we did. How do you suppose we should introduce such a thing?"_

 _"_ _Well there's only one good way to do it. Lux simply must come back."_

 _"_ _Why, I thought the same thing. And shall he be joined by his good friend Korkie Kryze?"_

 _"_ _He most definitely shall. And who could forget about his other ally, one of our lovely Polaris protagonists?"_

 _"_ _No one could. But what's their place in this new adventure?"_

 _"_ _We'll just have to see."_

 _..._

Lux Bonteri's office was a mess. Datapads and flimsi sheets were scattered every which way, a half-eaten lunch took up the middle of the desk, Lux's jacket had been thrown haphazardly across the back of his chair, and the man himself paced the room over and over.

Korkie watched from the semi-eye of the storm, Lux's guest chair, and attempted to break the tension with a joke. "Maybe you need a secretary."

Lux didn't laugh. "I need less stress. This is supposed to be the end of my term and have three new bills to go over, there's a trade deal on the table, and all that means I can't make it to the Blackwell wedding which I was hoping to get to. That's a disappointment." He made his way back to his desk and picked something out of a parchment-lined box.

Korkie recoiled from the sight of the thing. "What are those, charcoal briquettes?"

"No, they're cookies. Dalla baked them for my lifeday present. Want one?"

"No thank you."

Lux took a bite of the scorched thing, made a face, and then spat it into the waste receptacle. "She's another problem. I need to talk to her about joining our houses."

"Joining your houses?" Korkie repeated. "You mean getting married?"

"Yes, a marriage alliance. It only makes sense to unite the north and the south, so we can consolidate trade and bring northern affairs to the crown's attention more quickly. That and we would run less of a risk of civil discontent between the two regions. It'll never go away completely but if the north knows they're represented in the royal family…"

"Marriage is more than an alliance or an official contract. It's joining your life with another person's forever." Lux stared at him like a shaak in the headlights so Korkie changed tack. "I don't know the Onderonian marriage vows, but the Mandalorian words translate to _'we are one when together, we are one when parted, we share all, we will raise warriors.'"_

He waited for Lux to comprehend what all that entailed, and when the shaak in the headlights look persisted he picked up one of the blackened cookies.

"Marriage is eating the burned cookies even if they taste like ash."

Lux looked from the cookie to his friend and back again before he whispered "That's what you and Soniee promised each other?"

Korkie choked back tears. _"Elek."_

"It should have been the two of you here in this office, taking care of all this."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just the Warden. She's the true heir to the throne and with you at her side, she would have been amazing." Lux slumped into his desk chair staring at the cookie tin in despair.

"She would have been," Korkie agreed. "She was always the top of our classes at the academy, the only one of us to actually graduate."

"She was amazing on Coruscant." Lux added.

"I didn't get a chance to see her there." To tell the truth Korkie had always been a little jealous that his wife had gotten the opportunity to use her education in the galactic arena. Perhaps that's why he was here now acting as unofficial advisor to the crown prince of Onderon, or Throne warden he supposed.

Korkie had spent enough time with his father-in-law to know that the adage was true. You could take a Kira out of the jungle but you could never take the jungle out of a Kira. Maybe the same was to be said of taking a Kryze out of politics.

"Did you ever think about...moving on?" Lux's voice had dropped to a whisper. "About releasing her from her vows and moving on with another?"

Clearly there was something or more accurately someone on Lux's mind but Korkie knew not to ask.

"No." Korkie answered honestly. "I haven't seen her in five years." he finished in mumble. "Not physically anyway" and then focused on Lux again. " _Ni kar'tayl kaysh._ I don't just love her. I know her. I hold her in my heart."

It had been years since Lux had seen the love of his life but he and Ahsoka had never said any vows to each other. And this wasn't about her anyway. This was about Dalla. "She's my best friend! How can I do all that with my best friend without us ending up hating each other? Korkie, you've got to help me."

"Do you know if she's ready for marriage? With what happened to her during your siege … she came out of the palace without her clothes. What Rash did to her isn't something she can just forget."

"That's just a disgusting tabloid rumor. She would have told me if something happened." Somehow it sounded like Lux was hiding something else for his friend, but Korkie didn't sense it was malicious.

He didn't know how much he could help or handle but Manda help him, he was going to try. "The most important thing is to talk to her always. If you think there's a problem, talk to her. Never leave anything unsaid."

His voice broke on the last word.

Lux closed his eyes. "Korkie, I'm so sorry…"

"Soniee and I were best friends before it developed into anything more serious. You're going to be a great husband, and I hope you can understand why I can't be there for your proposal or your wedding. Besides, Fox and Lagos need me for … something."

As much as Lux wanted Korkie to be there, he understood. "Will you at least stay the rest of the week?"

"I think it's best I go sooner rather than later."

…

On the other side of the planet another couple of friends were also talking, but the circumstances surrounding their conversation was arrival rather than departure. Dalla Blackwell and Cybele Vasha barely knew one another but already they were getting along famously talking about the sea and Cybele's nursing career and above all Thias.

Cybele wiped a tear from her eye when she finished telling of Thias' reactions to some of her more interesting patients at the refugee center. "I didn't think he'd be too fazed by vomit after what he told me of Senator Bonteri's voyage north. You were there, weren't you?"

"Aye, I was." Dalla shook her head at the memory. "We were on my ship."

"Your ship?" Cybele winked. "Did it go anything like our voyage north?"

"Oh salt gods no!" Lux didn't think of her like that - who would?

"Might we have a royal guest at the wedding, even if he's not your date?"

"Maybe I'll give him a comm and see if he can make it." _If I'm not interrupting anything._ She remembered when she commed Lux after the news about Concord Dawn and found him in a rather compromising position.

…

 _Lux didn't pick up the first three times Dalla had commed, but the fourth was the charm. Or at least Dalla thought so until he materialized looking like he wasn't in a state to talk at all._

 _"_ _Lux?"_

 _"_ _Heeey, Da'a," Lux slurred. "What're you doin'?"_

 _"_ _I saw the news holos about what happened on Concord Dawn. What are you doing? You shouldn't be alone right now."_

 _Just out of the holofield she heard a giggle and then a feminine voice asked "Who is it, Mr. Senator?"_

 _Dalla raised an eyebrow and was just about to ask Lux the same question when a Zeltron woman entered the holofield wearing a coy smile and nothing else._

 _Dalla's hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my salt gods!"_

 _The woman stopped short. "Oh no, are you his girlfriend?"_

 _"_ _No, but please put on clothes!"_

 _The woman looked around the holofield for something to wear and snatched up something that looked like one of Lux's shirts. Dalla didn't really care what it was, as long as she was wearing something. Then she turned her attention to Lux._

 _"_ _What is going on here?" she demanded._

 _Lux was on the defensive. "I jus' went out an' had a good time."_

 _"_ _And that's where you met her?" Dalla gestured to the woman. "Who is she?"_

 _"_ _I met him at the bar," the woman explained. "We'd both been drinking for a while and then we got talking…"_

 _And Dalla had no delusions about how they'd spent the rest of their evening. "How many has he had?"_

 _The woman shrugged and then hiccuped. "Few more than me."_

 _She was drunk for sure and Lux didn't drink beer either. "I'm sorry ma'am, I'm sure you're very nice and all but can I talk to my friend alone?"_

 _"_ _Sure," the Zeltron scurried out of the holofield, probably never to return. Drunken one-night stands rarely did._

 _Dalla zeroed in on Lux. "What were you doing at a club? You never go out drinking."_

 _"_ _Seemed like the right thing to do," he sighed. "Soniee 'n all. She liked to go out 'n be with people."_

 _"_ _Soniee wouldn't want you to do this."_

 _"_ _Who knows what Soniee would want? She can't tell us now." He reached for a bottle on his nightstand and took a swig._

 _If Dalla hadn't already sent the Zeltron away she'd have asked her to pour the booze down the sink before Lux made any more questionable decisions. As it was she'd have to pull out her old strategy for managing One-Eye. "For the love of all that is holy Lux, put that down before you give yourself alcohol poisoning!"_

 _Miraculously Lux dropped it. "I'm glad we're not together. This'd be awkward if we were," he slurred and just then noticed the liquid dribbling from the bottle onto his coverlet. "Oh no. It's all wet."_

 _"_ _Don't!" Dalla cried just before he peeled back the coverlet. She didn't know what was underneath, but she wasn't willing to take the chance there_ was _anything. "I'm going to hang up, and then you can change your coverlet. Comm me in the morning so I know you're okay. Aye?"_

...

She shook herself out of that memory. Lux was most likely just in his office working late. Which is where she found him when she commed.

"Is this a bad time?

 _"_ _No it's never a bad time for you to comm. You know that."_ To tell the truth Lux looked like he'd rather face a herd of stampeding fambaas than her.

What was that about? "Well there was that one time."

He rolled his eyes. _"Ugh. don't remind me."_

"You had a good excuse. You thought Soniee was dead."

 _"_ _Funny thing you should mention her!"_ He jumped upon the new topic. _"Korkie just went back home to Mandalore."_

"He did?" What had spurred him to do such a thing after waiting so long for Soniee here? Still Dalla covered with her favorite tactic: humor. "Do you need someone there to comfort you over the loss of your friend?"

Lux wrung his hands. _"Ah, about that…"_

"Or you could just come up here for Thias's wedding."

"Dalla… I really wish I could but I've got all this work." He drooped with disappointment but the nervous tension had also disappeared from his shoulders.

"I understand. Everyone will miss you."

 _"_ _Will_ you _miss me?"_ he asked with a roguish smirk.

"Of course I will," she quipped. "There will be no end to my weeping and the sea will overflow and drown us all."

He laughed. _"I'll comm and congratulate the couples on the big day. How about that?"_

"That sounds great. I'll talk to you then."

She couldn't quite explain the relief on his face, like she'd just extended a major deadline. Maybe she would get some answers the next time he commed.


	5. The Memoirs of Talia Bralykburn-Harkon

**THE MEMOIRS OF TALIA BRALYKBURN-HARKON**

 _Twins run in the Harkon family and in the Bralykburn family though they occasionally skip a few generations. So here's a summation for those of you who are keeping track:_

 _Ephraim and Elinor were the twin son and daughter of Glover and Adria Harkon. They had a little sister named Miranda. Elinor and Miranda were both killed during the Clone Wars._

 _Kora and Kayla are the twin daughters of Hugo and Suzelle Bralykburn. His first wife Yanara and their son Dominic died in the big storm at sea 25 years ago._

 _Hugo and Yanara's daughter, Talia survived the storm and grew up to marry Ephraim Harkon._

 _Maia and Fiona are the twin daughters of Talia And Ephraim Harkon and goddaughters of Dalla Blackwell and Lux Bonteri. Talia and Ephraim also have a little boy named Truman._

 _K. All caught up on the begots? Splendid! On with the show!_

…

Kora and Kayla burst into the captain's cabin of _Miranda's Revenge_ out of breath. "We couldn't find them anywhere!" If anyone could give the Bralykburn twins a run for their credits it was their twin nieces.

Maia and Fiona had excused themselves from dinner and hadn't been seen for the rest of the watch.

Talia, sitting in a rocking chair nursing her little boy to sleep, hushed them. "I'm sure we'll find them sooner or later. It's not that big a ship. Thank you for looking though." She was just happy that Truman hadn't been woken by all the commotion his big sisters were causing.

His little lips still made sucking motions as he unlatched, deep in his milk coma that would hopefully keep his tummy content until sunrise. Talia wondered why her girls had never been this peaceful.

Kayla crooned softly, "can I hold him?"

"Not now that I've just got him to sleep." Talia smiled at her sister's eagerness. "There will be plenty of time for that tomorrow and when we get to the Hold."

Kora and Kayla shared a look that did not go unnoticed by their big sister.

"What's this? You have other plans when we get to Blackhold?"

Kora answered. "Not plans really, it's just that there will be so many other young people at the wedding and… you know how Papa is."

"He hardly lets us out of his sight." Kayla finished with a sigh.

Just then the door opened again. This time it was Ephraim with a daughter in each arm. Their sleepy heads resting on his strong shoulders. "Found the little rogues!"

Wife and both sisters-in-law all hushed him and indicated the sleeping baby.

"Ah." Ephraim lowered his voice. He bent to place a kiss on his son's forehead and one on Talia's cheek. "These two were up in the main top playing pirates. I'm just going to sling them up in their hammocks."

"Alright, tre coi." Talia whispered back to him.

There was a heat in the gaze between the couple but it was broken by the voice of one of their daughters. "Papa, can we have a story before bed?" That was Maia.

"A Sanya story?" Fiona piped up as well.

Ephraim laughed and gave his wife a wink. "Alright, maybe a short one." He carried the girls back out the door toward the cabin they shared.

Kora and Kayla watched him go as Talia stood to place Truman in his cradle. They were hoping for a story as well but not one about their infamous pirate ancestor.

"Talia," Kora began with an encouraging nod from her twin. "When did you first know that Ephraim was… the one?"

Talia didn't look up from her son but she smiled at the question. "You know our marriage was arranged by Papa and Lord Harkon."

"Aye." Kayla prodded. "But we also know he gave you your first kiss and that was a long time before Papa and Lord Harkon signed any docs."

Their big sister didn't deny it. She sighed and went back to her rocking chair. "That was before the two of you were born."

Kora and Kayla grinned at each other and settled themselves at her feet for the tale.

"I was frozen in at Harkon Hall for salt and light that year and has much as I hated being away from Papa and Suzelle for the holiday Ephraim and his parents and his sisters were very welcoming to me. I had gone because I wanted to get my new little brother or sister a cog. Ephraim was nice enough to show me the kennels..."

 _"'_ _Course we don't have a litter at the moment." Ephraim led her down the long corridor to where the norcogs were kept indoors in the coldest months of the northern winter. They had lots of space outdoors to run and swim also of course. A big beast like a northern cognine needed lots of exercise._

 _He had told her all this before and he had asked after Noodle who she had left back at the Keep for this voyage. She didn't mind listening to him say it again. Ephraim Harkon's voice had dropped since she had seen him last summer and he'd shot up several centimeters as well._

 _Thinking of him like that made her cheeks grow warm and she hoped he didn't notice. When they arrived at the kennel however her face went absolutely scarlett. They were just in time to witness the alpha cog mount one of the females with single minded determination._

 _Talia's eyes grew wide as they watched. "Wow! They're really going at it."_

 _Ephraim laughed nervously. "Aye, guess that's what they have to do if we want pups for your sisters."  
_

_Talia fell uncomfortably quiet but she couldn't quite bring herself to turn away. "Aye."_

 _Just then Elinor burst in behind them and wrapped an arm around each of their shoulders. "That's gonna be you two in a few years, mates."_

 _Ephraim and Talia scattered to opposite sides of the room. "What? No way!" "Eww! Gross!" They protested._

 _Elinor just laughed. She didn't bring up the subject of the two of them again until the night before New Year's Morn._

 _"No really! It's supposed to be good luck!"_

 _Ephraim scowled. "Then why don't you find somebody to kiss when the new year dawns?"_

 _"Because you're my brother," Elinor sighed dramatically. "and there's no other boys around my age."_

 _"We don't have to." Talia asserted. "It's just a silly tradition."_

 _But Elinor wouldn't be put off. "I think you're both just scared," she taunted._

 _"I'm not scared of anything!" Ephraim swore._

 _Talia, not to be outdone or thought craven, also added. "I'm not either."_

 _Elinor grinned. "Well then, do it!"_

 _Ephraim leaned a bit closer to Talia and she to him. "uh ... Alright…" Their lips touched for the briefest moment._

 _Elinor laughed._

 _Weeks later, still during the freeze, the girls sat together in Ellie's room._

 _"Who are you gonna marry?" Talia asked her friend._

 _Elinor chewed on the end of her red braid. "I was supposed to marry your brother."_

 _"I-I know." Talia still missed Dominic. She wondered if having twin baby sisters would be anything like the relationship the siblings had shared. "but now that he's gone…"_

 _Elinor shrugged. "Some Flint most likely. The Blackwell boys are all little kids and mom's a Kretash so they're out. There's a Murphy who's kind of cute."_

 _"The one they call One-Eye?" Talia asked._

 _"Aye, I think the patch makes him look dreamy." Both girls giggled._

 _"He stayed with us after the accident." Talia remembered. "He was nice. Don't know what he's like now." After a silence, she continued. "I wish we could still be sisters."_

 _"We will be when you marry Ephry"_

 _Talia threw a pillow at her and giggled."I can't marry him."_

 _"Why not?"_

 _"Well, we're friends." Talia fished for an answer. "We don't think of each other... Like that."_

 _Again Elinor shrugged, "Might not be your choice. At least you get along and like I said, we'd get to be sisters."_

 _"Aye, I guess so."_

Talia, thinking of how short a time she and Elinor had enjoyed as sisters, lapsed into silence and her sisters must have taken that as a signal that story time was finished for now. They both rose and kissed Talia's cheeks.

"We'll let you get some sleep," Kayla said.

They heard Ephraim whistling as he returned from his duty and Kora added from the corner of her mouth, "or not sleep."

Talia caught the mumbled teasing and gave her little sister a swat. "To your cabin, the both of you."

They ran into Ephraim on their way out the door and he gave them a bow. "Good night, ladies."

"Good night, Ephry," Kayla giggled.

Kora called loud enough for both her brother-in-law and sister to hear, "should we be expecting a new litter anytime soon?" They ran off before they could hear any response.

"Those two…" Talia rolled her eyes and welcomed her husband with open arms.

He went to her gladly, shutting the door behind him with a snap and then looking over at the cradle that held their sleeping son before he grinned wolfishly at her. "Don't they know we already got our traditional Harkon two girls and a boy for this generation?" He kissed her deeply. "Don't have to worry about that anymore."

"And it's a good thing we had that taken care of or we'd be giving Jamos and Shara a run for their credits." Talia snarked back at him.

He laughed. "So does that mean tonight…" he raised his eyebrows suggestively, cocking his head toward their bed.

"Give me a few minutes just to enjoy the peace and quiet?" As much as she loved her husband it had been a long day.

He kissed her forehead. "As you wish, tre coi." He went to get himself ready for bed and left her to her thoughts.

Her father had given her a mission. At the Blackwell/Vasha wedding she was to scout out the playing field of eligible bachelors to see which of those might be worthy for him to approach as possible candidates of suitors to court his younger daughters. She wasn't technically supposed to bring them along but he hadn't specifically told her not to either and this way she would be able to see if they took a shine to anyone in particular.

Hugo Bralykburn had kept them locked up in the Keep so long they'd hardly had the chance to meet anyone their own age. Talia had argued with her father about this very thing before. Especially with daughters of her own now, she understood what might happen when they were finally released into the wild.

He wanted respectable, prestigious matches for both of the twins. Did he understand that the Blackwells, his mortal enemies, would be the best he could hope for? There were certainly plenty of boys in that family.

Ephraim planed to take on one of them as his own shipbuilding apprentice and Cornel was just of an age with the girls. The rumors were that he was cognitively… delayed. But it could be just that, rumor, an attempt to take the ruling family down a peg. Or the stories could have been blown out of proportion. Ephraim believed they should see for themselves and give the boy a chance. Boy? He was a young man now, nearly sixteen, just like the girls.

Talia was startled out of her tram of thought by a snore coming from the bed. She smiled at her husband, already asleep as soon as his ginger head hit the pillow. She didn't blame him and would join him shortly if her mind would ever quiet.

There was another eligible bachelor who might be attending the wedding. He was only the most sought after unmarried gentleman on the planet. Talia remembered the first time she had met the crown prince. It was on the day he came north for salt and light and she had overheard him talking to her husband.

 _"_ _Ephraim, your twins are beautiful." Lux Bonteri complemented the baby in his arms. "They look just like you!"_

 _Ephraim laughed. "Aye, they're definitely Harkons. But they're going to be beautiful just like their momma. I can hardly wait to see them looking like angels in their own wedding gowns."_

 _Lux looked abashed. "Don't tell me you're already thinking of marrying these sweet little ones off!"_

 _Ephraim considered the infant in his arms. "Depends if any eligible grooms come along soon. I was counting on you to help us out on that front."_

 _Lux laughed, "Me? You'd better not hold your breath on that. I'm not married."_

 _"You could be." Ephraim gestured to Dalla on the other side of the room._

 _Lux swallowed. "Dalla? I don't think so. We're friends, nothing more."_

 _"So were Talia and I ... at first." Ephraim gave him a pat on the shoulder. "After we got married, things change. We started to like each other, and then we found out the twins were coming and salt gods, I love that woman now. It doesn't matter how you start out, only what you put into the marriage."_

 _"What are you two talking about?" Talia finally broke into the conversation._

 _Ephraim smiled warmly at her. "I'm telling the senator of our great love story."_

 _Talia smirked. "Oh, so that's what you're calling it now?"_

 _"What else would you call it?"_

 _"Awkward friends who happen to make cute babies."_

 _Ephraim winked, "You weren't saying that last night."_

 _"Oh, so we're bringing up what was said last night?" Talia threw back at him. "In that case —"  
_  
Talia chuckled to herself, remembering Lux's embarrassment. No, he might not be officially spoken for but there was someone he needed to end up with, even if he and Dalla were the only ones in the Galaxy who couldn't see it.


	6. Sisters Marrying Cousins

**SISTERS MARRYING COUSINS**

 _Lux's Sister and DuchessKenobi proudly invite you to the Blackwell/Vasha wedding! Everyone who's anyone will be there. They all want to see if the crown prince will be in attendance. Everyone knows he's friends with the lords of the North. And there might be a few guests who are a little curious to see the non-human brides. And wedding presents? Well, those will be for you our readers! But you'll have to wait till the end of the chapter!_

 _…_

Dalla Blackwell had to shout to be heard above the ambient noise at the biggest wedding the Hold had hosted since her own parents'. Half the north had shown up to celebrate Thias' and Kason's marriage to the Vasha sisters, and that didn't count the brides' clan. Dalla didn't know Togruta lived in such large groups until the lot of them arrived at the Hold full of smiles and celebration.

Once the panic of figuring out where to house them all died down the Vasha clan was more than a welcome presence. The mother of the brides in particular was lovely. Mrs. Vasha had taken straight to Aunt Shara and upon discovering Thias's mother was many years gone, brought Dalla right into their little circle of wedding preparation. She'd arranged the Vasha side of the seating chart and picked out the best music for the reception, with a blend of Togruta and Onderonian songs which flowed right into one another like they were meant to be played together.

Talented and kind as she was, Mrs. Vasha seemed a little … off. Cybele had warned her future sister-in-law that her and Ray's mother was some kind of mystic and saw things no one else could, but Dalla hadn't believed her until she saw the woman's gaze go somewhere far away. It was like she was seeing things no one else could. But she'd never become erratic or violent, so Dalla simply brushed it off as a quirk and kept working on the momentous event.

Now that the day itself was here she hadn't expected to see much of Mrs. Vasha. No doubt she would be busy mingling with her family and wishing her daughters and sons-in-law well.

As the dance floor began to fill up Dalla settled into her seat to enjoy the show. Emoth streaked past her field of vision hand-in-hand with a dark-haired girl, followed by Cade with a blonde. She might have yelled after them but it would have been useless in the din.

Someone chuckled behind her. "Are we to have another double wedding?"

Dalla turned around. Mrs. Vasha had seemingly appeared in the chair beside her, smiling at her daughters on the dance floor.

"We'll hardly have recovered from this one," Dalla tried to joke but it was hard with the somewhat ethereal woman beside her. From the tops of her montrals to the tips of her toes Mrs. Vasha stood almost six feet tall, dwarfing the diminutive Lady of the North.

"For all our hard work, it's turned out beautifully," Mrs. Vasha said. "The couples will be blessed with wonderful lives together."

Dalla nodded. "They seem very happy. Not that we've seen much of them tonight; they gravitate toward the young people."

"'The young people' includes you, dear," Mrs. Vasha pointed out. "Why haven't you gone with them? They're bound to be more entertaining than us old ones."

Dalla started to answer but Mrs. Vasha cut her off. "You would be alone. You've lost every friend but one, and he was unable to come. How sad."

How had she … ? Dalla tried to mask her discomfort. She didn't believe in soothsayers or psychics, but how did she know about Lux and his being Dalla's only friend? She swallowed hard. "Today's not the day for sadness."

"No, it's not." Mrs. Vasha got that distant look in her eyes. "My daughters are going to be terribly happy with their husbands, and I can only hope they'll come home to visit sometimes so I can see it in person. The young boy and girl with the dark hair, their lives will be changing tonight as well."

"Emoth? How is his -?"

Mrs. Vasha smiled at Dalla. "And your own loneliness is coming to an end, dear, though you may not realize it."

"My…" She could feel Mrs. Vasha's gaze staring into her soul. Without the kind smile it would have scared her.

The woman didn't seem to hear her. She'd gone into her own world or maybe one that didn't belong to anyone. "My girls...Ryon…oh, I see him now."

Her son Ryon was dead nine years now. Panic that the woman would die on her daughters' wedding day snapped Dalla out of her stupor. "Mrs. Vasha, Ryon isn't here."

"I know he isn't. I only see his little hands." Her smile grew. "Rayala's too, reaching out to the desperate. She's always been open-hearted like that. Cybele's hands helping to heal. Hands steering ships, tending children."

Mrs. Vasha gently took one of Dalla's hands in her own and examined it.

"And I've seen these hands as well, drenched in blood." She set it carefully on the table and the faraway look disappeared from her eyes.

Only then did she sense Dalla's discomfort. "Don't worry yourself with the future," she said, patting Dalla's hand one last time. "Enjoy the night. You'll remember it forever."

…

She hadn't quite shaken the creeped-out feeling when she rounded up her family for a group comm so Lux could congratulate the couples.

"I can't believe you know the senator and heir to the throne personally!" Rayala squealed. "He's in all the holos."

"And he's cute!" Cybele grinned.

Thias looked at her with mock injury. "Hey!"

"But not as cute as my husband!"

Shara had other concerns. "Kason, where's your father? Oh he's speaking with Ephraim. I wish they could have chosen another moment to… oh well, where's your brother?"

"Which one? I have three." Kason asked.

"Emoth. I haven't seen him all day or Cade for that matter."

Thias shrugged. "I thought they might be plotting something for the bedding."

"They wouldn't." Cybele's eyes went wide.

"I wouldn't put it past them." Kason sighed.

"I think they were chatting up some girls. But we don't have time to look for them right now." Dalla brought the comm unit from her pocket and activated the image. "Here's Lux."

Lux's image fizzed to life and he took stock of the tide of Blackwells surrounding him. _"Can you all hear me?"_

"Aye, they can hear you."

 _"_ _Congratulations to all of you!"_ he beamed at the couples, though Dalla noticed it was a little hard for him to focus too much on the brides. _"I regret I wasn't able to make it to the ceremony to wish you well in person."_

"This is wonderful, Senator Bonteri," Rayala assured him. "Thank you for taking the time to comm us."

"You should have been here Lux," Little Lana insisted. "Then you could have taken me up for the net casting."

"Or Dalla." Thias winked at his sister.

Kason smirked. "I think Saw might have had something to say about that."

"I think Saw gave up his right to have anything to say about it." Dalla mumbled under her breath. She hadn't seen Saw Gerrera since he disappeared from the planet with his partisans.

 _"_ _Now, it's not a day to think about such unpleasantness."_ Lux glossed over the situation beautifully. _"Lana, I would have gladly escorted you forward to the net casting if I had been able to get away from all this."_

Lana giggled.

Someone called from the dance floor and the couples looked over their shoulder in the general direction of the speaker.

 _"_ _Go enjoy your night,"_ Lux urged them. _"Congratulations!"_

When the couples left everyone else wandered off to other things, leaving only Dalla on the comm with Lux.

"They remind you of Ahsoka don't they?"

 _"_ _They do._ "

"They knew her. She and her master rescued them from slavery."

 _"_ _Really?"_ His expression softened. _"I can believe it."_

"Have you heard anything?"

His face fell. _"No."_

He made an effort to compose himself and abruptly changed the subject. " _I think you and I ought to negotiate the joining of our houses."_

She had to have misheard him. "Excuse me?"

 _"_ _Well maybe it's not the best time. Your family has just hosted a huge wedding celebration. They'll need to...and then it'll be fishing season again and you'll be busy. We could -"_

Dalla almost dropped the comm unit. "Lux, did … did you just ask me to marry you?"

…

Oh there's no ending like a cliffhanger ending! While you stew in anticipation, it's time to bring out those wedding presents we promised you.

In light of a recent review (thank you Starwarshobbitfics for bringing this issue to our attention), we've created a section in our forum, "Polaris: Tales of the Blackwells and the Onderonian Northern Sea" explaining who's who on Onderon and how they are related to each other. And if you're the visual type, we've included a link to a family tree complete with pictures, in case you were curious what we think the characters look like.

Link to the forum: www. fanfiction forum/Polaris-tales-of-the-Blackwells-and-the-Onderonian-Northern-Sea/202176/


	7. Rewrite the Stars

**REWRITE THE STARS**

You know I want you

It's not a secret I try to hide

I know you want me

So don't keep saying our hands are tied

You claim it's not in the cards

Fate is pulling you miles away

And out of reach from me

But you're here in my heart

So who can stop me if I decide

That you're my destiny?

What if we rewrite the stars?

Say you were made to be mine

Nothing could keep us apart

You'd be the one I was meant to find

It's up to you, and it's up to me

No one can say what we get to be

So why don't we rewrite the stars?

Maybe the world could be ours

Tonight

…

Emoth snapped shut the holonotebook and flopped back onto his bunk. "Cade, you've got to help me! I have to see her again!"

"Who? Kayla?" He laughed, the sound of which was almost identical to his Lord father since his voice had dropped. "Have you been writing her more love poems? What did she say about the last one? Oh, Emoth," he put on a comical falsetto. "Are my teeth really as white as the salt gods and my hair as soft as a norcog?"

His cousin pelted him with a pillow. "I'm serious! I need your help."

"Didn't sound like you needed my help after the wedding."

Emoth thought of that glorious night when they had stolen away from the reception and he had held her in his arms. He swallowed hard. "Well I do now. You saw the way my father looked at them. What am I supposed to say to him? Aye Dad, I'm just going to head over to Bralyk Keep to ask Lord Hugo if I might court his daughter."

"Court his daughter?" Cade spat out another laugh. "What are you a knight of the old Republic? And I suppose you think you have a better chance explaining to Lord Hugo how you deflowered his baby girl?"

"Hey, I wasn't the only one deflowering one of Lord Hugo's daughters after the wedding."

Cade sighed contentedly. "Ah my sweet Lady Kora." He chuckled. "Aye. So it's my neck on the line as well when you start spouting your professions of love and eternal devotion."

"But I do love her!" Emoth groaned.

"Alright, fine. It's your father Hugo hates. Maybe murdering you will distract him enough that Kora and I can sneak away."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." He snarked, but he was smiling. He knew the other half of double trouble wouldn't let him down.

…

Kayla stood in front of the mirror, critical of her reflection. The dress was very nice. Papa had brought she and Kora each one from his trip up the river to the capital. But everyone knew that her sister had always been the pretty one. A new dress wasn't likely to change that.

Still Emoth preferred her and that's all that mattered. She smiled and ran a hand over her flat stomach. She wished she'd had this dress to wear to the wedding. But if Papa hadn't been away on his trip she and Kora might have never found the excuse to get out of the Keep so they could attend with double trouble.

Talia had to go to the wedding. She was a Harkon and they were the Blackwells bannermen. It didn't seem out of the ordinary at all then for her little sisters to come along with her. Of course Kora and Kayla had barely seen their sister for the entire event. But that too was to be expected with so many other young people to celebrate with.

 _Emoth had grabbed her hand and run forward when the net was tossed. It had gone to one of the brides' togruta cousins. Seemed those horns on their heads were good for something after all. But Emoth had just shrugged. "I don't need some silly net to tell me who my heart is caught up with." He whispered and she would have followed him anywhere._

 _They had ended up on one of his family's ships in the harbor. None of them were out sailing during the celebration of the weddings of the family's two oldest sons. "I wished it was us saying our vows during the ceremony." Emoth had told her between kisses. "I love you, Kayla."_

 _"_ _I love you, too." She told him._

And how many times since then had they told each other over the comms. But now that Papa was back she wondered when the next time would be that they would be able to be together.

And she so needed to see him! She couldn't possibly tell him something like this over the comm!

Kora stepped up behind her touching her own golden hair to make sure it was perfect before she wrapped her arms around her sister. "You look lovely in that. Blue really is your color. Papa always knows what to pick. Come turn around and I'll get a holo for you to send to Emoth." Kora took both her hands and turned her to face the other direction.

Kayla was in no mood. She'd been feeling queasy and lightheaded all morning. But she did make an attempt, if only so Emoth could see her in the dress.

"Now smile." Kora told her and then just before she snapped the still she added. "Come on, Kay, who knows how much longer it will fit you."

Her eyes widened and Kora caught the moment of shock. "How did you know?"

"Well we may not be identical but I do know you better than anyone and we share a fresher so it's fairly obvious when certain supplies that should be depleted at a certain time of the month are not?"

"Aye." Kayla went to sit on the edge of her bed. Her hand went to her stomach again.

"So you're certain?" Her sister came to sit beside her.

Kayla shrugged. "I haven't taken a test or anything like that."

"You really should." Kora instructed. She was always doing that. She was only five minutes older than Kayla but that seemed to mean that she was the leader, the responsible one. "After we show Papa our dresses we'll go and visit Old Sheela."

Kora's advice was usually sound but Kayla wasn't sure this time. "What if she tells Papa? What if he gets angry? What if he goes after Emoth?"

"We'll swear her to secrecy. But you know he's going to find out eventually. It's not something you can really hide, especially from Papa. But maybe it won't be so bad. You know he's been after an alliance with the Blackwells forever, and here you've got Jamos Blackwell's grandchild in your belly." She sounded almost… disappointed.

"Kora, what's wrong?" Kayla asked her twin.

"It's just…" The blonde sighed heavily. "I'm a little jealous."

"What?"

Kora rolled her eyes haughtily but she might have been holding back tears. "If father gets his alliance with the Blackwells with you then he still has me to connect him with some other family."

"But you love Cade!" Kayla was horrified.

"I like him very much." She tried to downplay her affection. "I like being with him. He makes me laugh. But he doesn't profess his undying love to me like Emoth does to you in all his comms. He's never written me poems."

"It's just his way. He jokes about things. But I know he loves you." Kayla was sure of it and she was sure as she had ever been about anything she and her twin should be married to the double trouble Blackwell boys. "And well, you and he…" her hand went back to her own stomach. She was scared to have a child, to be a mother, and yet her sister was acting like Kayla and Emoth had succeeded where she and Cade had failed.

Kora stood and started pacing. "Papa will have something else in mind for me. Talia got him in with the Harkons and you'll be a Blackwell. Surely the Flints have an heir available or…" she grinned but Kayla knew her heart wasn't in it. "The Kretash boys aren't bad to look at."

"Kora!" It was all she had to say to bring her sister back to her side.

Kora did have tears in her eyes when she sat and hugged her sister tightly. "I'm happy for you. I think you and Emoth will be really happy together."

Kayla hugged just as fiercely. "If Papa doesn't kill him, we'll speak up for you and Cade. He just has to let you be together."


	8. To Hold and to Keep

**TO HOLD AND TO KEEP**

So, where were we? Right, Kayla is pregnant and can't get in contact with Emoth to tell him. He's managed to get his cousin to agree to sail over to see her again. What could possibly go wrong?

...

Cade's gaze traveled worriedly over the ships and docks of the harbor of Bralyk Keep. He had wanted to meet the girls at the little island with the cave again like they had before. He had wanted to fly Flint banners. His mother was a Flint. Emoth's great something grandmother had been a Flint. But the idiot had insisted, "I'm going to speak with her father. I'm not about to come slinking in like a Chirn.

"They know we're coming. She'll have told them. She said she would." His cousin breathed now. Actually, Emoth looked as if he might hyperventilate. The signature Jamos Blackwell grin wavered on his lips. "They haven't blown us out of the water… yet."

"Aye." Cade agreed but still he watched. He didn't see any cannons pointed at his beloved _Beast's Ride_ but there were certainly eyes, hundreds of them. He was sure, even if they were ordered _not_ to, most of those pairs of eyes belonged to men who wouldn't have minded a chance to pillage any ship with Blackwell banners that had sailed, bold as brass, into their harbor.

They had no problem bringing the ship into dock or lowering the gangplank. It was quiet as the salt gods' halls. Still it unnerved Cade. "Don't let anyone on board," he told his first mate, Colin Kretash, before he disembarked. "If they make a move to attack before we return, up anchor and run back to the Hold."

"Leave you and Comm Officer Blackwell here, Captain?" Colin asked.

"Don't question my orders." He answered more fiercely than he intended then hurried to add. "I won't have those pirates taking my ship." He patted the rail affectionately. "If Emoth and I have to, we'll find our own way home. We've been through worse scrapes."

Emoth was already speaking to a steward on the dock when Cade joined him. "He's gonna take us right to her!" His cousin beamed.

With one last look at his precious ship, he followed along to meet with salt gods only knew what.

The streets were eerily silent as was Keep holdfast as they were ushered through massive iron doors. And then they heard a shriek of glee as Kayla Bralykburn ran down a long flight of stairs and threw herself into her lover's waiting arms.

Emoth spun her around and kissed her, completely oblivious to all else, but Cade's attention was drawn by the other young lady who was descending the stairs at a more sedate pace. He swallowed. She was more beautiful than he'd remembered. Her golden hair was draped over her shoulder in a long thick braid and her dress was Bralykburn red.

Cade had been telling himself for weeks now that it had only been a fling. Their feelings for each other were nothing like what his cousin felt for her sister. But seeing her again now… he wanted to run and embrace her, exactly as the other couple was doing.

Before he could make a move towards her however, he saw Kora lift her hand and shake her head ever so slightly. Her smile was so sad it was heartbreaking.

"You came!" Kayla cried when she and Emoth finally came up for air.

"Of course I did. You don't know how I've been longing to see you again."

She giggled.

"Or maybe you do." Emoth grinned.

She nodded. "I had to see you. I had to tell you in person. Emoth, I… we… we're gonna have a baby!"

"What?" Cade exclaimed and all eyes turned to him for a moment.

Emoth's gaze quickly returned to Kayla. "That's… that's…"

"Oh say you're happy about it." She begged. "I couldn't stand it if you weren't…"

"Happy?" He stammered. "I'm thrilled!"

Cade wondered if that was true or if his cousin was just saying it to appease the girl. If it was him… He paled and shot a look at Kora. "You're not…?" He mouthed.

She shook her head with… well it couldn't have been disappointment. Surely Kora wasn't any more ready to be a parent than he was.

"I'm so glad!" Kayla gushed. "I was so afraid you'd be angry or… or that…"

Emoth dropped to his knees in front of her placing a tender hand on her belly. "How could I be angry? You're having my baby." We're those tears in his eyes?

Cade heard a quiet sob beside him and looked to see Kora gazing on the display as if it were the most precious thing she had ever witnessed. _Had they all gone kriffing mad?_

"I'll marry you, Kayla. I want to take care of you and our baby. I want…"

Whatever else Emoth wanted was cut short as a shadow filled the doorway off the hall and with it a deep, angry voice. "Get up, boy. Didn't your fool father ever teach you men of the north don't kneel!"

Cade's cousin scrambled to his feet and wrapped an arm protectively around Kayla's shoulders. "No, sir… I mean aye, My Lord. My parents taught me…"

Hugo Bralykburn strode into the hall. "They obviously missed teachin' you the lesson about not leavin' a little girl carryin' your bastard."

"I'm not a little girl, Papa!" Kayla stamped her foot.

Emoth hurried to try and explain. "It wasn't like that, Sir. I never would've… I mean… I didn't intend…"

"How many others have there been, Blackwell? You got a whole string of girls you're floating along?"

 _Why that kriffing pirate!_ Cade wanted to shout. _How'd they even know it was Emoth's? What if she'd been out… How did they know she was even pregnant? She didn't really look pregnant and it was her word against Emoth's. It was an insult to their whole family!_

Without even realizing it Cade's hand had slid to the hilt of the knife he wore on his belt. But then another, small, white hand covered his.

Kora shook her head desperately. "Don't… please," she whispered. When he looked into her eyes he knew it was all true. He also knew that if it had been he who had gotten Kora pregnant, he'd be the one up there saying the same things Emoth was right now.

"Sir, I didn't plan this." Emoth had taken both Kayla's hands in his own and though he was addressing her father he couldn't take his eyes off her. "But I swear to you, in the sight of the salt gods, that before I even knew about the baby, I was on my way here to speak to you and beg your permission to court and one day marry your daughter. Now that I do know… gods, I'll do anything to make it up to her and to you, Sir." He glanced back over his shoulder before returning his gaze to the girl. "I love Kayla, more than anything. And I love our baby!"

 _Poor lovesick cog. He'd done it now. Telling Hugo Bralykburn he'd do anything?_

Cade saw the wicked smile spread across the face of the Lord of the Keep. It wasn't just the smile of a reassured father. Something was coming and it wasn't going to be good. If Hugo wasn't going to kill him than Uncle Jamos might.

The hand holding his reminded Cade just how close he had come to being in the same position.

"You wanna marry my baby girl?" Hugo asked. "You'd bring her back to the Hold? Start a sweet little family of your own?"

Emoth beamed. "Aye! That's exactly…"

"Oh, Emoth…" Kayla gushed.

"Well," Hugo looked as if he were considering but Cade was sure he'd had this all figured out since he learned the identity of his daughter's lover. "I've got just one problem with that."

 _Here it comes_. Emoth and Kayla both looked at her father as if he held the key to their eternal happiness in his grasp. Maybe he did, but whatever it was would also surely work out to his benefit.

"I have only daughters. Talia's happily married but her babes will always be Harkons. I won't have an heir unless…"

"Sir," Emoth began.

 _He wouldn't_.

"I'm the second son of a second son."

 _He is! Emoth, don't! Stop! Wait!_

"I've got brothers and cousins who can carry on the Blackwell name."

 _Noooooo!_

"If it means I can be with Kayla, have her for my wife…"

She had tears in her eyes and he wiped one from her cheek with his thumb.

"I will take her family name and our child will be her heir."

"No!" Cade really did say aloud but it wasn't audible over Hugo Bralykburn's whoop of victory. Oh, he had one over on the Blackwells now!

Emoth didn't seem to notice. "And we can do it right away!" He grinned. "My cousin can stand in as my family witness!"

 _Mate, why are you getting me involved? Uncle Jamos is going to kill us both._

…

Right away, was a relative term. In this case it meant the time it took for them to walk from the holdfast to Bralyk Keep's salt formation. The salt god who the Bralykburns prayed to and thanked at the yearly festivals and who had witnessed every major event in the lives of the clan members for centuries, stood at the mouth of a small river.

There must have been a hot spring further inland, similar to the one at the Hold. The stream it created widened into a stronger concourse and here it emptied out into the sea. An ancient, beautifully carved bridge spanned the river, and standing atop it is where Emoth and Kayla would say their vows. It was undeniably a beautiful location.

Kayla hadn't changed out of the blue dress she'd met him in but he thought she looked beautiful.

"It's baby blue." He whispered to her as they approached the bridge.

"Like a Blackwell banner." She whispered back.

"Or like a Bralykburn stream." He added with a grin.

How had no one ever noticed the similarity of their house colors? It seemed obvious, now that Emoth thought about it, that their houses should be joined. Still Cade was giving him very dark looks. He wished for a moment that he had his female cousin there instead. Dalla would understand about marrying for love since she'd almost been forced to marry for position and power.

And Momma also. Didn't something similar happen to Grandpa Kason and Grandmother Hadassa? Emoth always wished he could have met them but they had both died long before he was born.

He wished they could have met Kayla. They would have loved her. Salt gods, who wouldn't? She was beautiful and smart and beautiful and talented and… beautiful. And she was carrying his baby!

He couldn't really tell yet from just looking but he did think that he felt a sort of roundness when he touched her belly. Suddenly he mused aloud, "I wonder when we'll be able to feel it move… I mean he… or she or… when will we know if it's a boy or girl?"

Kayla stopped walking and looked at him, amazed and thrilled that he would care about such a thing. "I don't know." She admitted.

"Momma will! She loves babies! She is going to be so excited about this!" Emoth grinned.

"Do you really think so?" Kayla asked, eyes filling with tears.

"Of course!" He hurried to assure her. "You heard when they were all joking with Kase about grandkids at the wedding. We just…" he wiped away her tears. "Beat him to it."

Emoth was completely focused on his bride. That is until he heard Cade swear softly behind him and ahead of them on the path Hugo let out a laugh.

Kora gave Cade an elbow to the ribs. At least she was taking this seriously. "We're almost to the bridge." She urged them on with a slight hitch in her voice.

The minister was already waiting for them when they arrived.

"It's like a fairy tale." Kayla cooed.

"It is," Emoth agreed taking both her hands in his.

"Except most of the time the happily ever after comes after the wedding." Hugo patted his daughter's belly protectively giving his soon-to-be son-in-law a disappointed look.

Emoth looked sheepish and a little worried. "Aye, Sir. I mean, I'm sorry…"

"It's water under the bridge now." Hugo shook his head. "This is where you start makin' up for it." He gestured to the minister to begin.

Funny how at Kason's wedding Emoth had imagined that he was saying the words with Kayla but now that they were face to face and it was actually time, he couldn't remember what he was supposed to say. He had to be reminded several times by the minister.

Kayla didn't though. She knew exactly what to say and when to say it. And he could tell she meant every word. He wondered if girls practiced for this their whole lives.

He remembered his little sister going around for weeks, both during the planning of Kase's wedding and after the event, making her brothers, and cousins, and her friend Nessa, and even the norcog, play wedding with her. Sometimes she was the blushing bride. Other times she was the weeping mother and other times she was the minister. Lana was definitely always the one in charge. She would be upset that she missed this.

Thinking about her he realized that he had missed another cue. Kayla was raising her eyebrows at him expectantly. And then she repeated because she must have already said it once, "I am…"

"Hers!" He jumped in. "I am hers!"

"...his." she said smiling, a half second after him.

Then they finished together. "And (s)he is mine."

Emoth gazed at… well she was his wife now! Or was there something else he was supposed to do?

"Kiss her." Cade must have been rolling his eyes but Emoth didn't look back at him to see.

"Oh aye!" He bent and she stepped up on tiptoe to meet him. Salt gods, he loved this woman! His wife! The kiss deepened. He wrapped his arms around her.

Then a strong hand grabbed the back of his collar and pulled him back. "I know you already got a taste but there will be time for the official bedding after we feast."

Hugo had a feast prepared? And there was going to be a bedding! Emoth grinned and Kayla smiled sweetly back at him. He could wait a little longer. They had their whole lives ahead of them.

…

The seating at the head table went as follows: Kora sat at the far left, then beside her came Lord Hugo Bralykburn. To his right was the bride, then the groom, and finally Cade Blackwell.

He leaned close and whispered to his cousin, "Kind of creepy being the only Blackwells in the middle of all these pirates, aye?"

He couldn't have knocked the smile off Emoth's face with a belaying pin. "Sorry to break it to you, mate, but since I agreed to take her name, you're the only Blackwell here."

Cade swallowed. Suddenly his mouth had gone very dry. This was not how this trip was supposed to go. They were only supposed to visit the girls. Maybe pick up where they left off a little, after Thias's wedding?

Nobody had gotten violent with them. The whole clan had so far been very accommodating. Well, to Emoth anyway. They had for the most part treated Cade like he didn't exist.

He only had to be here for one purpose. That much was obvious. Hugo had glared at him while he signed the marriage certificate as Emoth's family representative. _I'm not doing this for you, Sleemo,_ he had thought while he scrawled his name on the document. _This is what my cousin thinks he wants._

So did that make Cade the only Blackwell here? Was he expendable now that he had participated in the evil deed? Or would they send him back to the Hold with the news like the single survivor of a bloody battle?

Hadn't Hugo been known to do that very thing before? Cade's First Mate, Colin Kretash, had lived to tell the tale of the pirate's nefarious actions when he was a kid...

He leaned over to Emoth once again. "Have you commed your parents about this?"

His cousin took a drink of wine and shook his head. "Kayla's Papa said he would take care of it. Since she's still technically underage he wants to make sure they understand that she has his permission. Doesn't want them to think I stole her away against his will."

Cade mumbled, "More like he doesn't want them to know he's stolen you away from them till it's too late."

"What was that?" Emoth asked, laughing at something his new father-in-law had just said.

"Nothing." Cade pushed away his plate. The food was of the highest quality and didn't seem to have been poisoned, but he'd lost his appetite.

That was another thing. How was Hugo able to arrange all of this so quickly? They'd walked in the door, Kayla had dropped the bomb about her condition, then wedding, and BAM feast! He had to have planned ahead of time.

Cade took a gulp of his own drink. That he still had an appetite for.

So what would have happened if Emoth wasn't so eager to marry the girl? Would it have been a true blaster rifle wedding? What if it had been Cade and Kora instead? Would it have mattered to old Hugo which Blackwell he snared in his net? But now that he had one…

Cade tried to look down to the other end of the table where Kora sat. She was staring at her plate, not eating. Then suddenly she stood and Cade could barely hear her over the noise say, "May I be excused, Papa?"

He waved a hand, more focused on his other daughter. Kora hurried out of the dining hall, crying.

Cade also jumped up, not bothering to ask for permission, and followed her out.

"Kora!" He called, when they had left the noise of the hall behind.

She turned to face him but didn't rush into his arms as he would have liked, so he approached her more slowly. Then she spoke and it was the very last thing he expected. "How many were there before me?"

Cade scrambled for an answer to the strange question and came up with simply, "None."

It didn't seem to make her any happier. In fact, Kora's frown deepened as she asked, "And how many after?"

"None." What else did she want him to say? For all his bluster he really did love her. She wasn't just some…

Kora turned away from him. "But there will be. The infamous Captain Cade Blackwell with a girl in every port…"

Cade closed the distance between them with a laugh, and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Aye, there will be."

She looked at him, eyes wide with shock.

Cade smiled and touched her cheek. "Someday I'll have my wife sailing with me." He explained, more softly. "And in every port she'll be at my side."

Kora batted his hand away angrily. "And she won't be me! So I wish you both a very happy life together!" She attempted to storm off but he stopped her.

"Kora, wait!"

"I can't, Cade… we can't. Papa has… He won't..."

"We could have right now, tonight! And then… I don't know. We'll figure something out."

"No, Cade," Kora cried quietly. "Please don't make this any harder." And she ran away, leaving him alone.

No one stopped Cade as he trudged back to his ship not knowing if he'd be allowed to leave and go back to the Hold or who, if anyone, would be making the trip with him.

...

If you haven't gotten a chance to check out out Geneaology info (including pictures of what we imagine all these characters to look like) please follow the link in our forum! Recent events have been taken into consideration so check back as our families grow and change!


	9. The Other Brother

**THE OTHER BROTHER**

Cade and Emoth made the fateful journey to Bralyk Keep together because they're like brothers, which is also the only reason Cade has decided to support Emoth's decision in the slightest. Let's take a look there before we head back to the Hold, where in light of recent proposals Dalla wishes she could talk to the man who was like a brother to her.

...

The next morning, the hammering on Cade's cabin door was superseded only by the hammering in his head. He attempted to peel his eyelids open and was assaulted by the blinding sun pouring through his window. It was going to be a more beautiful day than it had any right of being. Especially after what had happened last night. The events of which were just beginning to piece themselves together in Cade's mind.

And then there was the banging again. "Captain?" A voice called through the door.

"What is it?" Cade managed to sit up in his berth.

"You're going to want to come out and see this."

Cade did not want to exit his cabin, even if it was a mess. Clothes and leathers were strewn everywhere along with food wrappers and a few empty bottles from his solo 'celebration'. "Alright. I'm coming."

Once on deck, the captain of the _Beast's Ride_ wasn't really certain what he was seeing on the pier coming towards them. It looked like the laughing, cheering procession that had accompanied Kason and Thias and their wives on their send off to their honeymoons. That couldn't be what this was.

"Captain, this gentleman wishes to speak with you."

Cade turned away from the spectacle towards the voice of his first mate. "Aye? Where is he?"

"We didn't let him on board. You said not to let anyone."

"Aye." Cade sauntered over to the rail and looked down to the bottom of the gangplank. "What do you want?"

It was the same steward from the day before who had led he and Emoth to the holdfast. The man huffed. "I've been instructed by Lord Bralykburn to come aboard and prepare the honeymoon cabin for the bride and groom."

Cade saw now that the man had his arms full of cloth and boxes. "And exactly which cabin were you planning on using?"

"Only the best will do for the Lady Kayla and her husband." He sputtered as if it were obvious.

"You expect me to give up my cabin?" Cade asked. It was almost humorous.

"If your cabin is the most spacious and best appointed." The steward sniffed.

"Aye. It is." Cade was amused. He gave the little man a mock bow. "By all means. Come aboard and make your preparations."

The steward bustled up the gangplank and across the deck towards the door Cade indicated. Behind his back First Mate Colin Kretash looked astounded. Cade just winked like, _wait for it_ …

"Ye Gads! Is this a cabin or a kennel?"

The captain burst out laughing. "You might want to hurry it up. I can see them coming," he called.

"If I had been allowed to board as soon as I arrived, this would already be finished."

Some of Cade's personal items were unceremoniously chucked out the door he ran for it. "Kriff!" He gathered up the items from the deck and stayed to oversee the removal of the rest of his belongings. He called out to Colin. "Get the stuff out of the Comm Officer's cabin and I guess put my stuff in there." He resigned.

…

In a surprisingly short amount of time the cabins had been sorted. Well at least the honeymoon suite looked… better. The former Comm Officer's cabin, looked more like it had weathered a typhoon.

While the steward worked, several trunks had been delivered. Cade refused to let them come aboard before they were opened and searched.

"Dresses?" Colin exclaimed amazed. "What in the salt gods halls does one girl need with so many for her honeymoon?"

"Maybe she's coming to the Hold to stay." Cade shrugged. _Or_ , he thought, _maybe they're for more than one girl_. He could only hope.

It was too much to hope for, however. The bride and groom were escorted to the gangplank by a raucous crowd. They were both wearing cloaks of Bralykburn red. But before they could ascend to the deck, Kayla received a teary hug from her sister on the dock.

Hugo led the couple up the gangplank but Kora didn't join them. Cade had a feeling he should be paying attention to the honored guests who had just stepped aboard his ship, but instead he found his gaze lingering on the blonde girl still standing on the dock.

Emoth and Kayla's laughter brought him back to reality. Somehow very soon he was going to have to explain this disaster to his family, and somehow not get killed in the process. Uncle Jamos would be angry, but Cade trusted Aunt Shara's ability to keep him reined in. Dalla, on the other hand…

Oh, she was totally going to flip.

...

What was she doing? What the _Dxun_ was she doing?

Dalla slammed back her drink the second Maris placed it in front of her, set the glass on the bar and ordered another.

Maris looked up at the chrono and didn't make a move to take the glass. "Another?"

"Aye."

"It's not even noon yet, Dalla."

"Maris, please!" It came out a little shriller than she wanted but it had the intended purpose. Maris refilled Dalla's glass and she wasted no time draining that one either.

She knew full well it was before noon. It had to be because Lux was supposed to comm her at noon for an answer to his proposal.

And Dalla was going to say yes.

Just the thought made her consider ordering a double. Lux was a good man, but he was a _man._ He had … needs. When she thought of that, accepting his proposal felt like the worst decision she could possibly make.

"I'm not givin' you three before noon," Maris interrupted. "Not until you tell me what's goin' on."

"Let the girl drink Maris," another woman at the bar interrupted. "It's One-Eye Murphy's birthday."

Dalla stopped. _Salt gods, that was today?_

"You missing him, Dal?" The woman asked. Dalla recognized her now — Maggy, one of the girls at Blackhold's brothel. One-Eye had been a frequent customer of hers.

"Very much," she admitted. One-Eye, whose real name was Sloan, was like a big brother to her. She could talk to him about anything. Surely the north's most prolific ladies' man would have some advice for this situation with Lux.

Dalla closed her eyes. She didn't want to think about Lux. All she wanted was to go back in time to another of Sloan Murphy's birthdays, when she was five years old going to the pub with her newly thirteen-year-old best friend.

 _"_ _Why are we going to the pub for your birthday?" she asked crawling into one of the booths. "What about your birthday party?"_

 _"_ _This is my birthday party," Sloan said and plopped down across from her. "Some trader told me that southern kids sometimes have parties at game places or restaurants or somethin' like that, so my party's at the pub!"_

 _Dalla had never heard of such things as a birthday party that didn't happen in your living room and her eyes went wide. "Are all your friends gonna meet us here?"_

 _"_ _Maybe," Sloan lied. Dalla was his only party guest. After his aunt, Captain Eva Murphy's, death he had no family left and no one wanted to hang out with the one-eyed kid. Who else did he have in the galaxy besides the lord's daughter who he'd taken under his wing?_

 _Before he could elaborate the waitress came to take their order and he spoke for both of them. "We'll take the birthday special."_

 _"_ _Birthday special?" The waitress repeated while she marked down the order for a birthday cookie on the house. "You know that's for the birthday boy and his immediate family only."_

 _"_ _Yes ma'am. This here's my little sister."_

 _The waitress didn't catch Dalla's startled expression. "Alrighty. I'll bring those right out for you."_

 _She waited until the women left before she whispered: "Why'd you tell her I was your sister?"_

 _"_ _Who says you aren't?" He winked and then dropped his voice. "Girls dig guys with little sisters. I've already got a missing eye; I need all the help I can get."_

 _"_ _If I pretend to be your sister, can I have more cookies?"_

 _"_ _You can have all the cookies you want and someone to beat up anyone who gives you trouble."_ He extended a hand over the table. _"Deal?"_

 _"_ _Deal!"_

And he'd kept his promise. As they got older they would talk to each other about anything. He watched out for her and she helped him get girls. They were always there for each other, and salt gods she would give anything to have him with her again before she made what was looking to be the biggest mistake of her life.

Maggy's voice and the clinking of a raised glass brought her back to the present: "To ol' One-Eye?"

"To One-Eye." Dalla clinked her glass with Maggy's and drank long and deep.. As much as she wanted another, and for said drink to be a double, it wouldn't do her any good to take Lux's comm drunk.

When Maris went to serve Maggy's group Dalla placed a credit chit on the table, got up and left without making a sound. It was almost noon, and she wanted to enjoy the last minutes before she sealed her fate for good.


	10. Osik, Meet Fan

**OSIK, MEET FAN**

Everybody had to find out sooner or later so let's pick back up with Dalla who has a life changing comm to make and an unexpected one to receive.

…

" _So we're agreed then?"_ Lux Bonteri's holo image asked her from the cabin of the shuttle that was somewhere parsecs away between hyperspace jumps. They had to finish their conversation quickly before the pilot made the next jump and the connection would be lost.

Dalla stood in front of the Blackhold comm room's holotable and wrung her hands. "I suppose it is what's best for Onderon."

Lux laughed. He was as nervous about the prospect as she was, she knew, but he covered it so much better with his skills as a senator. " _Come on it's not as bad as the last time you were offered a proposal from the Royal house of Iziz."_

"No it's not." At least if they were going to go through with this she had the consolation that he could make her smile.

" _So I'm stopping off in the capital and then I'll catch a planet hopper up to the Hold_ …" he laid out the plans.

She picked up where he left off. "And we'll make our announcement to the family at dinner and a formal planetwide announcement some time in the next week. And then we'll begin making plans for the…"

" _Wedding_." He finished for her.

"Aye." She agreed. She placed both hands on the holotable to steady herself. "Salt gods. We're actually doing this."

He was smiling still. " _Go have a piece of your aunt's fruitcake if there is any. It's good for shock."_

She glared back at him playfully. "Are you sure you don't want me to come down to Iziz and fetch you in the _Southern Whore_?"

" _No please, Captain. The planet hopper will bring me to your side much faster than a sea journey."_

They stared awkwardly at each other a moment longer.

"I feel like after accepting your proposal we should kiss or something to seal the deal." Dalla tried to laugh.

" _We'll have plenty of time for that when I arrive, my dear."_ He raised an eyebrow and her stomach dropped. This was nothing like trading quips with Saw used to be. She wondered sadly where the rebel might be now and what havoc he might be causing the Empire.

"See you soon, Lux."

This was going to be interesting. Dalla hadn't even told her father about the negotiations she and Lux had been involved in. But he would be happy for them. He and mother had considered something like this with the Bonteris when they were children. It was too bad that neither Dane, nor Mina, nor Lana had lived to see this day. Maybe her mother could have given her the advice she desperately needed.

She was still struggling to regulate her breathing when the comm chimed. She thought it might be Lux wanting to have the last word before he dropped into hyperspace but in fact it was the very last person she expected. "Lord Bralykburn, to what do I owe this… complete and utter shock."

He smiled. That was disconcerting. Dalla had only seen the man smile like that once before in her life and then he'd just been handed Talia and Ephraim's son Truman. She knew the man's grandson was his pride and joy even if he would carry on the name Harkon.

 _"_ _Oh but it is a pleasure, Lady Blackwell."_

"Fishing season going well?" She asked, hoping that was all it was.

 _"_ _Funny you should ask."_ He grinned. Hugo Bralykburn grinned! " _Our clan has made the most marvelous catch."_

She waited for him to get to the point but he was plainly enjoying stringing this out.

" _Another of my dear daughters has just been married."_

"Well that's… congratulations." She was sure that couldn't be the whole story so she asked the next obvious question. "Who was the lucky groom? Anyone I know?" Even as she said the words she was praying, _salt gods, don't let it be Cade_! She knew he'd been hanging around with one of the twins at Thias's wedding, and perhaps more than just hanging out, but he couldn't be this stupid.

" _Why aye, actually, someone you know very well_."

 _Gods, it is Cade_!

He finished triumphantly. " _Your cousin, Emoth_!"

Her mouth dropped open. This was, if possible, even worse than Cade. Uncle Jamos was going to murder… someone. Possibly Hugo or Emoth or bloody Dxun, he'd probably just go on a murderous rampage and kill them all. "That's… that's…" her brain fought to form words.

" _I know! Isn't it just wonderful?"_

That hadn't been the word she was thinking of.

" _Emoth and my Kayla said their vows here at the Keep the day before yesterday! I am sorry it has taken me so long to inform your family of the happy occasion. It's been such a whirlwind_."

 _I bet you are sorry or you will be when Uncle Jamos gets through with you._ And then she realized that he wasn't done there was something else he was saving for dramatic effect. "Aye." She muttered suspiciously.

 _"_ _The happy couple are on their way to the Hold to celebrate with your family but I did wish to contact you, My Lady._ " Here he didn't give her exactly a full bow. It was more like a mocking nod. " _To let you know that even though my Kayla is still only 16 that she and her husband have my full permission and blessing for their union_."

"Right." She said shortly, waiting for the other shoe to drop and here it came.

" _However_ …" yep big heavy sea boot dropping in 3… 2… " _when you decorate for your celebrations of the nuptials you needn't be in a hurry to hang the blue and black banners."_

"And why is that, Lord Bralykburn?"

He looked contrite. " _You are aware, Lady Blackwell, that since the death of my son_ …" laying on the sympathy. " _The salt gods have blessed me only with daughters."_

 _Emoth what have you done_?

" _I love my granddaughters and grandson dearly, but I have no male heir to carry on the name of my house."_

 _Maybe take the hint from the salt gods and let it die with you_?

" _Your cousin Emoth has, therefore, graciously offered to take his wife's family name."_

"Kriffing Dxun!" The curse was out of her mouth before she could stop it.

He laughed. The noble Lord Bralykburn practically giggled. " _Gods, my only regret is that I won't be there to see Jamos's face when he finds out. Can you get a holo for me? I'm sure his reaction will be even more colorful than yours."_

"This isn't the end of this! The Blackwell name will not be disgraced by a pirate with no honor and no pride… we have weathered worse marriage propositions and have come out the stronger for it! Don't you think that we will stand by and…"

He was still smiling. He knew he couldn't be hurt by her tirade of words. " _You misunderstand. Your cousin entered this agreement willingly. It was his idea. I believe you will find, when they arrive… tomorrow? that Emoth and Kayla would take great offense at the idea of being parted. But I will let them explain all that_." He sighed. _"It is exhausting work putting together a wedding on such short notice. And I still have one more daughter of nearly marriageable age to think of. Good day, Lady Blackwell. Give my regards to your father and your aunt and uncle._ " And with that he ended the comm and left her with the awesome responsibility of relaying all this to the family.

…

It had been a great joke at the wedding, when the ships arrived from the south filled with tons of dirt. The gift had come from her daughter-in-law. Shara and Rayala had spoken often of their shared love of growing things. Shara had mentioned once that what they lacked in the north was not heat or light, those things could be synthesized. But this could not be.

She plunged her hands into the dark, rich soil just to enjoy the feel of it between her fingers. Finally after all these years, the Blackhold greenhouse boasted an entire row of jogan trees, with plenty of space for their roots to grow down deep. It was a dream come true.

The chime of her comm interrupted her revelry but she didn't really care about the dirt under her fingernails when she reached for it and saw who was on the line.

"Dalla, did you get the comm you were waiting for?" Shara had guessed from the rather vague and hypothetical conversations she had been having with her niece lately what the comm from Coruscant that Dalla was expecting today might entail.

 _"_ _I… I did_." If Dalla's voice sounded worried, that was to be expected. It was after all a big decision that she was making. Shara would of course support her no matter what she chose. And they all liked Lux so she was sure no one would object. " _I need to speak with you and Father and Uncle Jamos."_

"Aye. I'll just get cleaned up…"

 _"_ _As soon as you can, please, Aunt Shara. We're in father's office. Uncle Jamos is already on his way."_

"Alright. What's a little dirt under the fingernails? I'll be right there."

Despite her own cheerful response, something in Dalla's tone nagged at Shara as she ended the comm and set out across the Hold grounds. She had almost sounded surprised when Shara asked her about the comm as if what she had to tell them had to do with something else entirely. But what else could it be?

Shara had long suspected that Dalla and Lux were considering the prospect of uniting their houses along with the rest of the planet. They weren't in love but they were good friends. And Dalla had been skirting around the issue for weeks trying to get her aunt's opinion about entering into a marriage of convenience.

She had told Shara that Lux might try to contact her some time soon to ask if she had made a decision. And Dalla had monopolized the comm room for most of the afternoon. If they wanted to give it a go, salt gods bless them both. That's what Shara thought about it and she was ready to tell Marlon so to support her niece.

…

"Do you know what this is all about?" Her husband asked her when they met at the door to Marlon's office.

"Well I thought I did." Shara bit her lip.

"Dalla sounded rather… distressed when she commed me."

"Aye. If it was what I suspected, I could understand her being a bit nervous to tell us all, but her tone was more…"

The door slid open before them and Marlon spoke from behind his desk. "Come on in, you two. Let's hear what my daughter has to say."

They entered and Shara gave her niece, who it seemed had just left off pacing, an encouraging smile.

Dalla sighed and dove right in. "I received a comm today from…"

"Lux Bonteri?" Shara supplied in the pause.

"No."

Shara frowned.

"Well, Aye. But after we disconnected the conversation someone else chimed in."

Marlon looked as if he very much wanted to ask about the first conversation that his sister-in-law seemed to have more knowledge of than he did himself, but he forced himself to stay on topic. "Who was this second comm from?"

"Hugo Bralykburn." Dalla assessed their reactions.

Relations had been better with the clan from the Keep since the war, but mostly because they had kept themselves to themselves. Hugo had only concerned himself with their business a couple of times in the last few years and that was only when their paths crossed through the Harkon family. The last time Shara had seen any of the Bralykburns was at Kason's wedding and then it had only been the little girls, Talia's twin half-sisters. She had been too busy to really pay them any mind but someone had…

"What's that old pirate up to now?" Jamos laughed but he was the only one and his wife gave him a stern look.

Dalla continued. "His daughter Kayla was just married a couple of days ago."

"She can't be old enough." Shara burst out, a feeling of foreboding grow in her chest.

Dalla nodded, glad for a moment to stall the inevitable. "She's sixteen but Hugo gave his permission for her to go ahead."

"Who did she marry?" Marlon asked, and they all looked up to see how very white he had become.

Dalla hesitated for just another galactic second as her mouth moved to form the name. "Emoth."

Her father let out his breath in a rush of relief. He must have guessed as she had that it was Cade who was the groom.

Shara dropped into a chair too stunned to speak but Jamos just looked confused. Then he smiled as if someone was playing a joke. "I'm sorry? I must have heard you incorrectly. Did you say Emoth?"

Dalla nodded and she confirmed, "Emoth married Kayla Bralykburn two days ago at Bralyk Keep." Now that the words were out they seemed to be easier to say a second time.

"My son married a Bralykburn without my permission." The transformation from humor to anger was not pleasant to witness.

"But Hugo gave his permission." Marlon pointed out, trying to make sense of the situation.

Shara found her voice. "That shouldn't matter if there wasn't a representative of Emoth's family present." She knew this from personal experience.

"It seems that Cade was there as the Blackwell witness." Dalla said softly.

Jamos shot a look at his brother and the other raised his hands to protest his innocence.

"Why the rush? Why the secrecy?" Shara shook her head. She had an idea but she was praying that it wasn't true.

"Because he knew we'd never agree to this." Jamos stormed around the office like a caged animal.

"If they had fallen in love, if they had come to us reasonably. You certainly didn't make that option very approachable." She gave her husband another severe glare and he cowed a little before her. Then she continued to think aloud. "But they're both so young. A courtship could have been arranged…"

"He's the same age you and I were when we met," said Jamos.

"And she's the age I was when I met Sanjay." She said quietly.

They were all speechless for a moment until Dalla ventured, "There's something else."

"What? Your brother married the other one?" Marlon asked only half in jest.

"No it's…" Dalla steeled herself to tell the rest. "Hugo has no heir to carry on his name so it seems Emoth…" she rushed on to the end and then braced herself for the backlash. "Emoth agreed to take her name."

"Salt gods!" Jamos exclaimed and Shara looked ready to hyperventilate.

When she could articulate, she managed almost too calmly, "Emoth took her name so that he could give Hugo an heir?"

"That's what he said on the comm." Dalla confirmed.

Shara looked as if she might be sick. "Don't you see what this means?"

The others shook their heads obviously not having reached the same conclusion. They waited for her to explain.

She did so patiently. "The hurry, his permission even though she's underage, securing the… name." She looked around at their clueless faces. "Emoth has already given him an heir. The girl must be pregnant."

Jamos huffed his denial. "My son wouldn't…" but then he saw his wife's expression.

"If it had been _you_ that I met when I was sixteen…" she suggested.

Her point was made.

"Well we won't know the truth of the matter until they arrive." Marlon brought them back to the point. He asked Dalla, "I assume they are on their way here? That's what Hugo commed to tell us."

Dalla nodded. "The wedding was the day before yesterday so in Cade's ship, with a good wind…"

"Tomorrow." Shara sighed wearily.

As he always did, especially upon seeing his wife in distress, Jamos resorted to humor. He knelt down in front of her chair and took her hands in his. "We'll get through this. I may have to murder our son for being an idiot," he glared back over his shoulder at Marlon. "And his cousin for going along with it." He smiled again at Shara. "But we will get through this."

She valiantly tried not to smile back at him. "I'm not old enough to be a grandma."

Marlon feeling that the tension in the room had broken said with a short laugh, "Aren't you the one who was just joking with Rayala a few weeks ago about babies?"

"Aye." She frowned. "Joking, with my intelligent, mature daughter-in-law. There was nothing in that conversation about a child-bride, daughter of a pirate."

They were harsh words coming from the normally decorous Shara Blackwell. She rubbed her temples with a sigh. "I'm sorry. You know I don't mean it. Suzelle was my dear friend and I'm sure her daughters… I always wanted to do whatever I could for them." She stood up and Jamos stood with her and kissed her forehead.

The truth was that when she and Rayala had discussed the matter, she wasn't even sure if a togruta and a human could produce offspring. Her son and daughter-in-law had talked about the possibility of adoption when the time was right. Not that the species difference had ever mattered to Shara. She loved the girl because her eldest son loved her and Shara was sure she could be just as accepting of her second son's bride.

"I guess I should get the place ready to welcome a new family member or two…" Shara had already switched to Lady of the house mode. Emoth had shared a room with his cousin for years with bunk beds whenever the two of them saw fit to be home at the Hold and not off on Cade's ship somewhere at sea. That would have to all be rearranged. She mumbled plans and Dalla took the opportunity to offer her help.

"Why don't you let me worry about the rooms and you can settle on a menu for dinner tomorrow night, Aunt Shara." She knew a little cooking therapy would go a long way towards calming the other woman's mood. "Lux will be joining us as well."

"Oh that's wonderful!" Shara smiled distractedly. "Maybe his diplomacy is just what we'll need."


	11. Arrival of the Beast’s Ride

**ARRIVAL OF THE BEAST'S RIDE**

Well the osik hit the fan last week and now it's time to begin the massive job of cleaning it all up. Let's check back in with Onderon's most recently engaged couple, and see how they plan to minimize the damage.

...

"So, you're telling me that your cousin Emoth went to Bralyk Keep with Cade, proceeded to marry one of Lord Bralykburn's daughters _and_ he took her name?" Lux recapped everything Dalla had been telling him for the last few minutes and then took a swig of his drink. "Kriff, I thought I'd just left Coruscant. Clearly there's just as much drama here."

"If you thought you were coming here on vacation, you picked the wrong place." Dalla sighed and knocked back what remained of her ale.

"I wouldn't call it a vacation," he whispered. "I came here for a wedding."

"Looks like you're getting a two-for-one special."

"How in the universe was this allowed? The bride's underage, and from what I've seen of Hugo Bralykburn he doesn't let matters of his house pride slide."

"He's covering his own shebs," Dalla explained. "Aunt Shara thinks that with the speed this all moved along the girl has to be pregnant, but I'm not sure about that."

Lux nodded. "Yeah, I bet that's it."

"Lux, the only chance they would have had to get pregnant is during Thias' and Kason's wedding reception when we lost track of Double Trouble for a few hours. What are the odds of getting pregnant after one go?" Her own parents had tried for years before they had her.

"Considering the track records of some people I know of … pretty high."

"Not for the people I know of."

"Ten credits says I'm right and she's pregnant." He extended his hand over the table, eyebrow raised in a challenge.

"You're on." She took his hand and they shook.

"And what's this?" A deep voice jested behind them as its owner reached over the pub's table to refill their drinks. "Am I witnessing history in the making?"

"Only when Dalla loses this bet, Tandin." Lux smiled and reached out to embrace his old friend. "It's been too long. How have you been?"

"I've been well. I've got the missus and I've got Nessa." Former General Grigori Tandin sighed. "Last week she asked her mother and I if she could get her belly button pierced. Eleven is the new thirteen."

"Hang in there," Dalla patted his arm. "You've survived worse."

"Managing Rash was just the practice round for this. So Lux, what brings you back to the north?"

Lux was about to answer when the door leading to the owners' apartment swung open and Nessa gingerly poked down the stairs, her arms rigidly at her sides like a tin soldier.

Tandin looked her up and down and then he bellowed. "Nessa Sharaline Tandin, you went and did it yourself?!"

Nessa blinked and her eyes flashed to her belly button. "W-what?"

Grigori set the pitcher on Dalla and Lux's table and charged up to his daughter. "Nessa, your mother and I told you no piercings! And what's more, doing it by yourself is _dangerous!"_

"But I sterilized the needle with a match! And then I put rum on it when I was done."

Maris spoke up from her position over at the bar: "What's this I hear 'bout a piercing?"

While the Tandins duked it out on the stairs ("Nessa why in salt gods' names would you do that?" "I just wanted it done, Momma!") and the rest of the pub shouted out comments ("Ooh little Nessa, you've really gone and done it now!" "Mr. and Mrs. Pubkeep don't look too happy right now.") Lux kicked Dalla under the table.

"While I was in Iziz I popped into a jeweler's and got this discreetly." He poked her thigh with something and Dalla looked down - it was a velvet box, which he popped open to reveal a diamond ring. "I know you don't want anything big or flashy that could get caught in the rigging. I hope I did okay."

"You did great," she whispered and nodded her thanks. It really was beautiful, a diamond set with a smaller sapphire on each side. "That shouldn't get in the way at all."

"Oh thank goodness, I was worried you'd hate it." He leaned forward a little more and took the ring out of the box, then reached for her left hand.

Dalla folded her hands. "What are you doing? We haven't made the announcement yet; I can't be walking around with a rock on my hand."

"We're only walking from the pub to the dock and back to the Hold. Who will notice?"

"Half the pub will notice as soon as we get up from the table." He slunk back into his chair looking rather embarrassed and Dalla mentally kicked herself. "Lux, I'm sorry. I promise I won't spend the rest of our lives shutting you down, it's just this is all really nerve-wracking and with the whole Bralykburn thing on top of it -."

"I think that makes two of us who are absolutely scared to death." He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck before cracking a smile: "And besides, I'm the one who's going to be harnessing your crazy for whenever it suits me diplomatically."

"I'll be happy to loose it for you when the situation arises." She smiled back.

Lux got an idea. "Here," he fished around in his suitcase and pulled out a thin silk cord. "What about around your neck, under your shirt?"

"I think that's a great idea." She checked to make sure no one was watching and then leaned forward so he could lower the cord with the ring over her head. She tucked it safely out of sight under her shirt.

No sooner had the ring bumped against her breastbone when the pub door creaked open and Lana burst in. She raced up to the staircase with a "Nessa, did you do it?"

Nessa, Tandin, and Maris all stared down at her, and the excitement faded from Lana's face. She did her best to turn around and walk out of the pub like nothing was going on, but Dalla snagged her cousin's collar as she went past her and Lux's table.

"Lana, did you know about this?"

Lana smiled innocently. "Know about what?"

"I believe she does," Lux gave Lana a look.

Unknowingly he'd also given her an exit. "Oh, Lux is here? Hi, Lux! Momma will be so excited to find out you're here; I'd better go tell her so she can get a head start preparing your room." With that she smiled sweetly at Dalla again, wordlessly asking _will you let me go now?_

Dalla did. "Your momma will hear about this!" she yelled after her cousin before she groaned and returned to her drinks partner. "Salt gods, Miranda and I never did stupid stuff like this."

Everyone in the pub, Lux included, stared at her and then Maris broke the silence by grabbing Nessa. "Listen to me here, if you even _think_ of using someone else's ID at a pub…"

"I can't speak for you and Miranda, but I can count a few boneheaded things you did with Steela or Soniee," Lux announced. "And then there was my stunt on Carlaac. It must be a side effect of being young."

"Aye, and Emoth fell into that trap too." Whatever her cousin was thinking taking the Bralykburn name, it wasn't anything rational. "He's going to be lucky if Uncle Jamos doesn't kill him."

Lux opened his mouth to reply but he was cut off by Lana's scream from the outside: "The _Beast's Ride_ is in harbor! Emoth and Cade are back!"

"Emoth and Cade are about to be dead is what they are," Dalla muttered and tossed some credits on the table before handing off a few more to Maris, who spared her half a glance and then handed Nessa off to Tandin to look at her closer.

"Dalla, you got a necklace on? I thought you didn't have any."

Dalla touched her throat. Sure enough, some of the cord was peeking out around her throat though the important part was sheathed. "It's not much, Maris. Just a stone." If only Maris knew what kind of stone was around Dalla's neck, she and Tandin would both have a heart attack.

Luckily Maris had other things to worry about and focused back on Nessa, allowing Lux and Dalla to leave the pub in peace and meet with the rest of the family on the dock to wait for the ship.

"I take it your brother's is the one coming into port just now, with the Blackwell banner?" Lux shielded his eyes against the sun.

"Aye, that's the _Beast's Ride."_

Lux raised his eyebrows, just now hearing the ship's name properly. "He named his ship _that?"_

"Father just about killed him, but aye." Her father. She could see him approaching the docks with Uncle Jamos and Aunt Shara. Surely he should know about the engagement, Dxun maybe even before she did, but there was no way to tell him without letting half of Blackhold know at the same time. Better to save the announcement for dinner, in the privacy of the Hold.

Lux nodded in Marlon's direction. "I should get on his good side, shouldn't I?"

"He already likes you. He might threaten you with a blaster rifle -."

"I already saw him with a blaster rifle." Lux shuddered at the memory. "I think I'll aspire to never having him point one at me."

"He wouldn't." She touched the concealed ring to let him know why. "He likes you, and he knows you're an honorable man. I wouldn't marry someone who wasn't."

The gangplank was being lowered and Lux glanced toward it. "Let's just hope I still have a family to marry into when this is over."

 _Amen, Lux._ She could see Emoth standing next to a beaming girl who she assumed was Kayla Bralykburn. The slight brunette had a sweet face and gazed blissfully at Emoth. Gods, if she only knew what she'd done to House Blackwell. Not that she'd care. It wasn't her house even now, since Hugo had baited Emoth into taking her name.

"She doesn't look pregnant," She whispered to Lux.

"Just you wait."

The gangplank lowered to the dock and they tabled the conversation for later. Emoth and his new bride walked down the gangplank still gazing at each other and Lana ran up to them.

"Emoth, what did you bring me?"

"A new sister-in-law." Emoth squeezed the Bralykburn girl's hand and she looked shyly out to the rest of the family.

Lana snorted. "Yeah thanks, I've already got one of those. What did you really get me?"

"No, really Kayla is your new sister-in-law and. . ." He paused dramatically. "You're going to be an aunt."

Dalla swore under her breath. Maybe Lux didn't hear that bit.

Lana gaped at him. "Do Momma and Daddy know? Can I tell them?"

"That's not exactly how…"

 _"_ _I'm gonna be an aunt!"_

Lux smirked and held out his hand. "Pay up, Dal."

Dalla fished around in her pocket, grumbling, and deposited a credit chit in his waiting palm.

If he was going to celebrate his little victory Jamos trampled on those plans with a bellowed _"Bloody Dxun!"_ which made everyone jump.

Cade stomped down the gangplank. "Aye Uncle Jamos, that's what I thought."

Shara snapped into action. "Jamos, you're making a scene!"

"Kriff right I'm making a scene. Hugo Bralykburn made a mockery of this family, but I'm not going to take it without a fight."

Marlon grabbed his brother's arm. "Your son already did. And at any rate this isn't the time nor the place. Look at the poor girl; none of this was her fault."

Dalla hazarded a glance. Kayla Bralykburn looked about ready to burst into tears. She was either a genuinely sweet soul or a skilled manipulator, and Dalla would rather err on the side of caution considering she was Hugo Bralykburn's daughter.

Shara placed herself between Jamos and the couple. "Our son is responsible for this too, Jamos. At any rate, you're not going to accomplish anything making the girl cry."

Jamos looked over to Kayla and her wobbling lip and then gave in when he saw Emoth's face: nervous but protective, and ready to defend his wife. Even from Jamos.

"You looked like that when Hugo Bralykburn called me a southern witch," Shara reminded him. "Tell me Jamos, how ready were you to defend me then? How ready do you think Emoth is to defend Kayla now?"

"Uh…" Jamos shook his head to clear it and Shara walked right past him to greet the couple.

"Hello dear," she said and took Kayla's hands in her own. "I'm Shara, Emoth's mother. You must excuse my husband, he's just having a shock. We're both very glad to meet you."

Kayla relaxed a little bit. "Thank you, Mrs. Blackwell."

"Shara. You're family now." Shara smiled and then looked to her son. "Lana stole your thunder, didn't she?"

"Aye, she did." Emoth cleared his throat and then gestured to his bride. "Everyone, this is my wife Kayla Bralykburn. And, and -"

"We're going to have a baby!" Kayla burst out.

Lux smirked and flipped the credit chit over in his hand. "If she has twins, do I get another chit?" he whispered.

"Wanna spend our wedding night on the couch?"

"Only if you'll join me there."

She checked to make sure her father didn't hear that. "Hold your dalgos on that one, Bonteri. I don't want to have a blaster rifle wedding." _Salt gods, had Hugo done that very thing with Emoth?_

"Neither do I." Lux agreed. "But speaking of weddings, we'd better go meet the bride. We're going to be sharing a holdfast with her, after all."

…

The tension from the docks had luckily evaporated by the time they reached the dinner table. Everyone was asking Kayla questions about her interests and how she was feeling and how they could make her feel more at home. Kayla insisted that they'd done more than enough and she felt perfectly at home already, but she was excited to get things ready for the new baby. Did they have a crib in storage somewhere?

"I held onto our old one for grandchildren," Shara assured her. "We also have the changing table and a rocking chair. Emoth and Cade can drag them out tomorrow and start setting up a nursery next to your room."

Not even a grumble from Cade or Uncle Jamos. They simply nodded and went back to talking about the new little family. With the fishing season still going strong would they be able to pull Emoth away from the Hold to act as comm officer? And Shara was already talking about getting a midwife over to check out Kayla and the babe. Marlon and Lux were making polite small talk about Coruscant.

They were all getting along, and Dalla knew that if she was going to say something, now was the time. She kicked Lux under the table to let him know, and then tried to get everyone's attention. "Everyone, I have an announcement."

No dice. She might as well have been the salt shaker.

"Excuse me!" She stood up and a rare silence fell over the Blackwells' table.

Dalla steeled herself and cleared her throat. "Along with Emoth and Kayla's news, Lux and I have something we'd like to tell you also."

"What, you're pregnant too?" Cade snorted.

She shot her brother a dirty look before saying "No…"

Lux stood up beside her. "Though hopefully sometime in the future, that may be the case."

Bless him. "We've agreed to join our houses for the good of Onderon."

"What she means is," with this Lux took her hand and smiled at her. "We're getting married."

No one said a thing. No cheers, no congratulations. Just dead quiet.

To everyone's shock it was Kayla who spoke next. "That's wonderful. I hope you'll be very happy together."

"As happy as we are!" Emoth chimed in, once again making eyes at his bride.

Shara broke from the trance and grinned. "Aye! Of course it's wonderful. Welcome to the family, Lux."

Lana squealed, "Lux, we're gonna be cousins!"

Lux let out a huge sigh of relief and Jamos clapped him on the back. "Sure you want to get in on this craziness?"

"Ah, it's a lot like Coruscant," Lux replied. "Feels like home."

"Father, you're not saying anything," Dalla worried. Not only had Marlon not said anything, he hadn't even lowered his fork. He was frozen in place, his eyes sticking out as if on stalks with a bite of food en route to his mouth.

"Well, I'm…" he sputtered and lowered the fork with a shaking hand. "Are you sure about this? Married, Dalla that's huge, that's forever. Are you sure this is what you want? Do you love him?"

Well, no. And she didn't have any delusions that Lux loved her either. But what other choice did they have? They couldn't stay single their whole lives and die without an heir. And anyway, they were a team. They'd been a team during the war and when the Empire rose and countless other times when they commed each other to put their heads together on some issue or another. Marriage wasn't always love, but it was always teamwork.

"We can make it work, Father."

"Prove it," Cade challenged. "Kiss him."

Both Lux and Dalla blushed. There was no way to get out of this, but they'd both been hoping for a chance to practice before they had to do this in front of someone else. Kriff, she should have pulled him behind the pub like every other girl in the universe.

Lux gave her a quick apologetic look as if to apologize in advance for the awkwardness of it all, and then took her chin in his hand and kissed her.

It was bad. The people at the table couldn't see much more than the back of Lux's head, but it was more awkward than Saw's I-heard-it-was-good-luck-to-kiss-a-sailor kiss. At least there were no falling caf pots this time.

The table erupted into cheers when they separated, except for Marlon who still looked as worried as the prospective bride and groom themselves felt.

They shouldn't worry, Dalla thought while she untied the cord around her neck and gave the engagement ring to Lux to put on her hand. This was a good thing. Onderon would stand united, and the two of them would make it work. As long as they remembered they were a team, they could do anything.


	12. One-Eye Murphy: Manwhore

**ONE-EYE MURPHY: MANWHORE**

For this chapter we're going to hop in our DeLorean and travel back in time about eight years, back to the more familiar time of the Clone Wars before Dalla received her unwanted proposal from King Rash, and before she lost her first mate and proxy brother One-Eye Murphy. If anyone doesn't remember him from Polaris, then go back and check out the chapters "Dead Men Tell No Tales," "Catch and Release," "The Siege of Iziz," and "Blood in the Water."

All done? Then let's take a closer look the north's most famous one-eyed sailor.

...

Sloan "One-Eye" Murphy's party came to a screeching halt when a surge of cold water broke over his head along with a roar of _"One-Eye!"_

"What?!" He sat up bolt upright spitting water and looking around for the source. Was the ship sinking? Wait, he was on shore leave. At least he had been last night. He'd been at the pub, and then he went to the whorehouse.

Aaand he was still there. The whore he'd spent the night with was standing on the other side of the room, wincing.

One-Eye turned around slowly to see his captain and surrogate sister standing at the bedside with a pitcher.

"Captain." He probably should have gotten out of bed, but that wasn't appropriate in his current state.

"One-Eye," Dalla growled. "Do you know what time it is?"

Oh no.

"Uh…" One-Eye looked around the room for a chronometer.

"It's so late we almost left you behind! The entire crew's looking for you to make sure you're not floating belly up!"

"I-I'm sorry. I fell asleep."

"You fell asleep or you passed out drunk?" She could smell the answer on his breath.

"Passed out drunk," the whore confirmed. "Easiest credits I've ever made."

"Those his clothes over there?" Dalla asked, still glaring at One-Eye.

"Yes ma'am." The whore picked them up and tossed them over to One-Eye. "Come back anytime, handsome. I'll be waiting."

One-Eye barely had time to throw a flirty one-liner her way when the whore left and Dalla spoke. "Get dressed and get downstairs _now_ and I might not demote you to deckhand."

It wasn't pleasant getting dressed with your captain outside the door practically breathing down your neck, but get dressed he did and followed Dalla while she stormed out of the whorehouse and to the docks, yelling at him all the way.

"This is the second time you've done something like this. What have I said about you and your shore leave?"

One-Eye would have remembered if he wasn't buzzed, but as it was he was more concerned with his view of Dalla from behind.

"Damn," he whistled.

Dalla snapped around like the end of a whip and suddenly One-Eye found himself collared and yanked down to his diminutive captain's level.

"Care to repeat that, sailor?" She growled.

Her rage cut through One-Eye's drink haze leaving only one thought: _Frack, I just wolf-whistled at my frakking sister!_

He couldn't think of anything that would mitigate the damage but silence was a worse option. "Erm, uh…"

Dalla didn't glorify it with a response and instead dragged One-Eye the rest of the way to the docks and up the gangplank of _Maiden's Heel,_ steam practically rolling out of her ears.

One-Eye had plenty of time to sober up and think over his apology in the brig. He'd seen the looks the rest of the crew had given him when Dalla ordered him thrown in, like they were planning what to wear to his funeral.

As well they should. It wasn't like he hadn't wolf-whistled at women before, but doing so to his captain and proxy sister was a new low even for him.

How could he dig himself out of this one? Maybe he could persuade her to let it go if he didn't tell her father how she drank sixteen shots on her sixteenth lifeday. No, that'd probably backfire … especially considering he'd bought the shots.

 _Captain, I'm sorry for ogling your backside. Please don't kill me._

That was probably going to get him in deeper trouble.

 _Captain, I'm sorry for whistling at you. I didn't mean it._

That was slightly better. But One-Eye was the king of deflecting blame, if nothing else.

 _Captain, I am so sorry. I was drunk and not thinking clearly and I would never, never do anything like that in my right mind. It was completely inappropriate and it will never happen again. I swear!_

There. That was it.

He ran it over once more in his head when he heard the hatch creak open and Dalla descended into the brig. She was still furious for sure, but less so. That gave him hope.

Still he wasn't about to say anything before she did.

"I know you've been thinking up half-baked apologies, and I don't want to hear them."

Well there went his plan. Still One-Eye attempted to dig himself out. "Captain, I —."

"If you ever conduct yourself like that with me or any other member of this crew, I'll keelhaul you."

That was the best he was going to get. "It won't happen again."

"Oh, it won't," Dalla agreed. "Because we're going to let the crew know about this. Right now."

"The crew?" He repeated.

Dalla unlocked his door. "Aye One-Eye, the crew. Now."

So maybe the speech dubbing him a whore and announcing that he'd better keep his hands off the women or else was completely embarrassing. That was why he picked the _first_ night of his two-day shore leave at Harkon Hall to get rip-roaring drunk and party with someone with fine shebs. That way he could spend the second day sleeping off his hangover and lounging around in bed with the owner of the fine shebs, and his captain/proxy sister didn't come after him with a pitcher of cold water and enough anger to make a drexl quake.

One-Eye finished his second glass of ale and mentally perused the drink menu. The warmup round was over; now it was time for the main event.

"You're going to keep drinking that ale-flavored water?" A young woman sitting next to him laughed. "I thought you were one for a real drink."

One-Eye turned in his stool to see her better. She was gorgeous for sure, with a head full of fiery red hair and a fierce look on her face. He grinned his most seductive grin. "And you call what's in front of you a real drink?"

"More than yours." She took a swig and shot his grin back at him. "No wonder. I could drink you under the table any day."

"Wanna bet?" He signaled the bartender. "Two of what she's drinking!"

He and the redhead drank and flirted the evening away, and it was no surprise they ended up sharing a bed for the night. It took a suspiciously long time to reach her place, not that he much cared.

The bed he woke up in was more comfortable than any tavern cot he had ever frequented. And the beauty lying beside him… Her red hair was fanned over the crisp white pillowcase. Osik! He had to be dreaming! Or maybe he was dead and this was the salt gods' halls. But he was sure he'd never done anything to deserve it.

A sharp rap at the door brought him to reality along with the adolescent female voice calling, "Elinor!"

The red-head reached out as if to grab his pillow to cover her ears and block out the sound. Instead she found his shoulder, tossed toward him, and stared at him with those wide green, _Kretash_ eyes!

"Elinor?" he whispered, putting the meaning of all this together.

"Under the bed! Now!" she hissed and he complied without question.

"Ellie, wake up!"

"I'm up, Miranda!" From his position under the bed he saw her climb off and throw on clothes. "What is it?"

"Mama and Papa are looking for you. What are you even doing?"

"I'm getting dressed." That wasn't technically a lie.

"Well hurry up before they bite off my head for it." Miranda said with a huff and her footsteps faded away.

Once he knew the coast was clear One-Eye pulled himself out from under the bed.

"You're Elinor Harkon?" He coughed.

"Aye, I told you at the pub." A hurt look flashed in her lovely eyes. "You don't remember?"

"Well we were both drunk." He grabbed his pants from the floor and started to put them on. "Do you remember my name?"

She found his shirt and tossed it to him. "One-Eye."

"My real name."

Elinor dithered for a second before she went for her own clothes. "Well kriff if I know. You have to get out of here before someone comes."

He couldn't resist pulling her in for one last kiss before he left and she returned the favor.

"It's Sloan," he said between kisses. "My name's Sloan Murphy, m'lady."

"I'm not m'lady." Elinor pulled back and fixed those gorgeous eyes on him. "Just Ellie."

"Ellie…" He said her name like a line of music. "When can I see you again?"

"Never if you get caught." She laughed and shoved him toward her window. "Out with you, Sloan Murphy. Don't lose my comm frequency."

He didn't lose her comm frequency. In fact they'd texted off and on over the past few weeks. Nothing more than small talk, but it had kept him in most nights awaiting her messages instead of out partying with anything with fine shebs.

The sudden change in behavior had his friends and crewmates whispering. What had happened to One-Eye's "have fun today because you don't know if a pirate will stab out your eye tomorrow" philosophy? He didn't seem ill, nor had Captain Blackwell put the fear of Dxun into him recently. Had he had some sort of moral crisis?

After about a month though, Elinor's messages stopped cold. One-Eye tried not to be disappointed. It was good while it lasted, but she'd moved on. What else could he expect from a highborn lady? It's not like he had anything to bring to the table.

He was in his apartment eating junk food and watching the HoloNet when the knock came.

"Comin'!" He yelled, switched off the holoprojector and opened his door to reveal Dalla glaring at him like he'd just sunk her ship.

"One-Eye…"

"I didn't do it!" He threw up his hands in surrender. "I haven't done anything for an entire month, so whatever it is you've got the wrong man. I didn't do it!"

"Aye, but according to Miranda you did _do_ Elinor last month."

Dread washed over One-Eye. "How do you know about…"

"Salt gods One-Eye, I like you. I really do. That's why I gave you a second chance to get your act in gear. But now I'm laying down the law. You're going to Harkon Hall and taking responsibility if I have to drag you all the way."

He sputtered. "Take responsibility for what?"

The anger melted from Dalla's face. "Oh gods, you don't know."

"What is it?" A hundred horrible scenarios flashed through his head. "Is Ellie okay?"

Dalla stared and it was all the answer One-Eye needed.

"Oh gods." He held a hand over his mouth. "No, she can't be — I wore a …"

Dalla nodded. "We're going to the Hall so you can explain all that to Lord and Lady Harkon."

"Captain please! Help us!" He scooped up his comlink and sent a panicked text to Ellie.

"I am helping you. I'm taking you to the Hall so you don't get hunted down by Glover and Ephraim and so you'll have a witness when you beg the Harkons' forgiveness and take responsibility for the baby." Her voice softened. "I know it's a big deal and you don't think you're ready. But if you act like you do at sea or when you're with me, you'll be okay."

He swallowed hard and then his comlink buzzed. New message from Ellie. Relief washed over him when it loaded.

"False alarm!" He had to restrain himself from cheering. Then he sobered. He had allowed himself to imagine it, just for a split second: a baby, a family… with Ellie.

The comlink buzzed again and he relayed the message to his captain, "She says we shouldn't see each other again. Probably for the best."

Dalla spotted his disappointment. "Oh, One-Eye…"

"This is the best outcome, isn't it? Neither of us is ready to be a parent. And who knows if this would happen again if we were together again."

"But you have feelings for her?" she asked gently. "You would like to be together again."

"Well she's like you!" He burst out. "Kriffing nobility. I was crazy to think anything like that would ever be possible!"

"Girls like Ellie and me...love isn't meant for people like us." She hugged him, looking sadder than he'd ever seen her.. "I'm sorry you got caught up in it. It's not fair for you."

One-Eye froze in surprise and stiffly patted her back. "...Thank you."

"And One-Eye?"

"Aye?"

Dalla pulled back. "Highborn ladies are now officially on your off-limits list."

He straightened up. "Aye, ma'am."

We're taking a break Christmas Day, but look out for something new from DK on Boxing Day!


	13. Lord What a Lonesome Song He Sings

**LORD WHAT A LONESOME SONG HE SINGS**

We're back and ready with some more One-Eye! We know you're super excited to be back here with us, and if you're still looking for your Polaris fix then check out DK's new story, "Ship's Log." It's a real winner.

Now, where were we? Right, One-Eye!

...

"Murphy, you have to see this!" The wiry comm officer came scrambling from belowdecks with a holoprojector in her hands.

Sloan still had to get used to the crew running to him with everything. Dalla hadn't captained the _Maiden's Heel_ since that osik Rash demanded her hand, leaving him to take up her position in the fleet making its way down to Iziz.

"What is it?" He took the unit from the comm officer and pressed the button to activate the picture. Delay. Kriff reception on the open water!

"We're late to the party." The comm officer said. "We only tuned in after Lord Blackwell started screaming."

"Why is he -?" His question was cut off by the holoprojector finally futzing to life. Sanjay Rash, that pretending osik, took center stage looking mighty proud of himself. And tucked under his arm was...was…

Sloan's jaw fell open, and in the hologram Rash kissed Dalla's forehead.

"Hells no!" The exclamation popped unbidden out of his mouth and the rest of the crew's heads snapped to see what had gotten him so riled.

 _What the -?_

 _Salt gods! It's the captain!_

The crew flocked around Sloan and the holoprojector, but he barely noticed them. He fixed completely on the scene playing in front of him. Dalla pulling on a necklace like it was choking her, Rash covering her ears when he said the wedding vows so she wouldn't hear. Dalla looked so dizzy Sloan wasn't sure whether she was going to pass out or throw up on Rash's shoes. He was hoping for the latter.

No, scratch that. Sanjay Rash deserved worse than vomit shoes. He deserved all the pain it was possible to inflict on a person.

You know what, scratch _that!_ Sloan was going to kill him! He was going to beat Rash to a bloody pulp. He was going to cut off his favorite body part with a butter knife. He was going to dump an entire bucket of chum over his head and then toss him into chirn-infested waters.

Hells, he was going to do all three! Sanjay would be begging for the chirns before Sloan even got to round two.

"How did this happen?" He barked.

The comm officer jumped at his uncharacteristically harsh manner. "The rebels were trying to rescue the king. She was with them and Rash must have known she was coming. He stunned her."

Kriff him! What kind of man stunned a girl? Sloan would make him pay for that. He'd make him pay for every second he put his landlubbing snake hands on Dalla.

Someone made a sign to the salt gods. Sloan followed suit even if he didn't remember the last time he'd prayed.

 _Please help Dalla. She doesn't deserve this. Help her get away or make him let her go or strike him down with a bolt from the blue! I don't care how you do it, but help her._

Just to show him how much the salt gods cared, the feed cut out.

"Oh, come on!" He held it up to get a better signal. "Where's the feed?"

"I'll boost the signal." The comm officer scurried away.

Sloan shook the unit. Bad enough he was powerless to help his captain, but now he couldn't even see what was happening to her? Rash had to be done spouting off the vows now. Was Dalla conscious enough to fight him off or would she mumble something Rash could spin into an "aye"? She was smart, that Sloan knew, but half-conscious all bets were off. Or had he already dragged her inside? The thought that halfway across the planet Rash could be hurting his captain, his sister, made his stomach turn.

Right before he was about to throw the unit across the room the reception came back.

"It's back on!" He shouted so the comm officer knew not to touch anything else and focused intently on the image.

Osik! The tables had turned. Rash was still clutching Dalla but now the royal militia had arrived on the scene. Their general pointed a spear at the false king, bellowing _"Give me the girl or you're a dead man!"_

Rash scuttled backward, pulling Dalla closer like he was going to whisper something to her but she didn't give him the chance. Apparently recovered from the stun bolt, she kicked him in the knees and tore out of his arms.

The crew cheered.

Unsurprisingly the feed cut out again, this time for good. What good would it do the Separatists to broadcast their puppet's defeat? But he didn't care. Dalla had gotten away. That was all he could ask for.

…

After watching that he couldn't get the _Heel_ to Iziz fast enough. He didn't want anything distracting him. Not that he could will the craft to go any faster, especially in the middle of the largest northern fleet ever to make its way down the river.

Sloan never had his personal comm unit activated when he was on duty and even when he wasn't on duty there was no reason for him to expect that anyone would comm him now. Still it was habit to activate the thing and check for messages as he stepped into his cabin after a long boring watch.

It had to be a malfunction, an old message popping up as unread. He hadn't received anything from that frequency in… eight months. Certainly not after her brother's wedding….

 _He only meant to show her that he was getting on with his life like she said. She was the one who said they shouldn't see each other again. He had expected that she would have moved on as well. Elinor was a highborn lady after all and she was gorgeous. She could have any man she wanted. Only she couldn't, could she. What was it the captain had said? "...love isn't meant for people like us."_

 _He knew he kriffed up royally as soon as he saw her face. One-Eye walked into that wedding reception like he owned the place. It was just his style. His date was clinging to his arm. She had never seen the inside of a place like Harkon Hall and she exclaimed in her high pitched twittering voice over every little thing._

 _Kriff her voice was annoying but she did have nice shebs and the rest of the crew was glad to see their first mate acting more normally than he had in months._

 _"_ _Come on, One-Eye," she squeaked and pouted. "It's a tradition. We just gotta go up for the net casting."_

 _"_ _What? Aye, alright." He left off looking over the heads of the other guests for another glimpse of Ellie and allowed his date to lead him past the captain and her brother and Miranda to the front of the gathering of young people._

 _And then he saw her, over by the wall. Ellie hadn't joined the others. He tried to give her a smile, raise his hand in a friendly wave, when he felt the net drop over his head and that of the girl standing next to him who he had almost forgotten in that brief moment of eye contact with Elinor Harkon._

 _His date squealed, pulled his face down to hers and kissed him clumsily. By the time he managed to extricate himself and look back where she had been, Ellie was gone._

…

He checked the unit again. No, it wasn't a mistake. Ellie had commed him after all this time. He took a breath before he activated the comm planning out what he would say, condolences for her sister, begging forgiveness for ever dreaming it would be a good idea to bring a date to the Hall so soon after…

When her image materialized he found he couldn't put any of that into words.

 _"_ _Hey."_

"Hey."

 _"_ _I thought you might like to see what your captain has been up to while she's been down in Iziz."_

"You mean other than getting herself captured and almost married to a kriffing…"

 _"_ _Aye."_ some of the old humor was back in her eyes. _"Talia's sisters recorded it. Dalla and those rebels commed Hugo."_

"What'd they want to comm that old pirate for?"

 _"_ _Just you watch. Make sure you see the whole thing."_

He did and almost doubled over laughing at the sight of Hugo Bralykburn's shocked face. "How did you manage to get a copy of this?"

 _"_ _Talia was more than happy to forward it to me."_ She smirked at him and then burst out laughing again. _"Salt gods, I haven't seen that stupefied look on your face since that net fell over you at Ephry's wedding."_

"The wedding." Sloan's mouth moved without his say-so. "Ellie, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have brought a date so soon after...she didn't mean anything, I didn't even take her back to my cabin after. I deleted her frequency and the rest of the time we were in harbor I looked for you but then it was time to go and I…"

 _"_ _It's okay. We weren't together."_ She looked to her feet and swallowed hard. _"And you're not alone. I should have told you about him...but then it was too late."_

"Him?"

 _"_ _I…"_ she shook her head. _"The scare we had, wasn't a scare. I was trying to figure out how to tell you and then he...he died."_

Sloan's mouth fell open a little. "We were going to have a baby?"

 _"_ _I'd already lost him when you commed and I didn't see a point in bothering you with it."_ Elinor wiped her eyes. _"There was nothing to throw yourself at my father's mercy for."_

"I...I…" For once, Sloan didn't have anything to say.

Elinor muffled a sob behind her hand. _"I'm so sorry."_

"I'm sorry." He blubbered at the same time. "I should have stayed, I should have been there for you when he…" He choked on his own tears.

He wished he could reach through the holo to comfort her, to hold her in his arms and rock her and mourn the son or daughter they never got to meet. Instead they both stayed on the comm crying, lost in their shared grief.

Someone knocked. "Murphy, we've got new orders from Lord Blackwell."

"I'll get 'em," he said to the crewman and then to Ellie: "I have to go. We should be dropping anchor soon. When we do … would you like to talk? In person I mean?"

 _"_ _I would."_ She swallowed. _"I'll comm you when we're settled. We can find a place in private."_

 _..._

She was more beautiful than he remembered, a few rebellious strands of her red hair framing her gorgeous eyes. It was that hair which had first caught his eye in the pub, and while it never failed to stun him he now saw so much more: her strength, her compassion were unmatched by any other woman in the galaxy. Elinor Harkon was truly extraordinary.

He wished he could ever come up with a greeting worthy of her. Instead all that came out was "Ellie."

"Sloan." She looked upon him a moment longer and then broke the silence. "How'd you find this place?"

"One of the rebels told me he'd be out on his flying beast thing for a while. Let me borrow the place." Lux Bonteri seemed like an okay guy when Sloan talked to him about borrowing the beast's stall. Not good enough for Dalla, but better than that Gerrera kriffer who reminded Sloan way too much of himself.

Ellie smiled. "Reminds me of our cog kennels. Miranda used to sneak down there to steal a kiss from cute boys." Her voice wavered when she mentioned her sister.

Sloan closed the distance between them and took her hand. "I'm sorry, about what happened to her."

"They caught the bastards who did it," she spat. "I'm still deciding whether to feed them to the cogs or the chirns."

"Rash and I have an appointment with the chirns. We could take them out at the same time."

A small smile played at the corners of her mouth. "I'd like that. I've never sailed with you before, though I suppose we'd sail all the time if…"

Sloan clutched her hand like a lifeline. "Thank you for telling me about him now."

"You should have known from the beginning. I didn't know how to tell you."

"It's okay." He stifled another emotional display. "I'm glad I know now."

"Before...when I pictured him, I pictured all of us happy together. I was afraid to burst my dream."

If only they'd known they shared the same dream. Then maybe they could have been together instead of wasting all this time alone and unhappy. "Ellie, I …" he cleared his throat to buy himself some time to think. "Out of every woman I've known, and I won't lie there have been a lot, you're the only one who I feel anything for. I care about you, and frankly that terrifies me because you make me feel like I can be more than a one-eyed manwhore with a drinking problem and I don't know what in the galaxy I could ever do for you but if you say the word, I would drop everything and do whatever you —."

Elinor grabbed him and kissed him, shutting down his rambling. He went with it gladly. He was better at this, and salt gods did it feel wonderful to have her in his arms again.

They separated but lingered in each other's embrace for a while afterward.

"I don't care what anyone else thinks. I want us to be together." She craned her head to meet his eyes.

"Me too." He didn't know how they were going to do it, how they'd show the world, when the idea came to him. "Ellie, will you marry me?"

"Aye!" She squeezed his hands. "Ephraim will be our witness. And you can bring Dalla…"

"We'll do it as soon as this is over." He drew her close again and between kisses made his own promise. "I'm never leaving your side again."

…

"Set sails once the rowboats clear out," Dalla ordered not a minute after her boots hit the deck of the _Heel_ once again _._ "We're going to Iziz."

"Aye, ma'am." Sloan grinned.

"And what are you smiling at, One-Eye?" She definitely knew; her eyes twinkled as she said it.

Sloan scooped her up and swung her around with a whoop of joy.

"Congratulations you lot, you don't have to deal with me as captain anymore!"

The crew replied with their own whistles and mock relief. In truth they were just as happy to see the captain back safe and sound as he was.

Dalla hugged him back before she returned to a more professional distance. "Been busy, have you?"

"Between them and you scaring me half to death kliks away, aye I have."

"Not just with this crew," she smirked. "Lux told me about you borrowing his stall to meet a girl. Are you and Elinor…?"

 _That weasel!_ "Don't ever date that Lux guy. You're too good for him." But she couldn't have whoever she wanted, could she? _Love isn't meant for people like us._ Was a loveless marriage like the one she'd narrowly escaped his sister's eventual fate?

Sloan had meant to ask her to officiate his and Ellie's wedding. But now how could he? He'd just make her sad.

Dalla hadn't noticed his revelation. "You are!"

"Aye, we're giving it another go," he admitted. "What can I say, she's really something."

Surely she would have interrogated him if her comlink hadn't lit up with a message from a Steela, which demanded a drawn-out reply about troop movements or a new scout report.

While he waited his own unit buzzed. It was Ellie: _Did she say aye?_

 _Still have to ask,_ Sloan replied. _She will, I'm sure of it. I love you._

 _Love you too, Sloan Murphy._

"One-Eye?"

He stashed the comm unit and returned his attention to Dalla. "Aye?"

"You have that look on your face, like you want to say something but don't think you should."

"It's nothing," he shrugged and then pulled off one of his signature grins. "Only that I'm gonna stick around and make sure any male who has anything less than the best intentions stays the Dxun away from you, and that's a promise."

…

Of course, he didn't get to keep either promise.

Sloan and Ellie managed to stay together for the first thirty seconds of the siege before they got lost in the chaos and carnage. That in itself wasn't a concern. He'd told her he was going to stick with Dalla and watch her back, and they'd agreed on a meeting place afterward. Soon enough he and Ellie would be back on the docks with Ephraim and Dalla as their family witnesses, ready to begin their life together.

That plan lasted until Sloan slammed his opponent with his shoulder and wound up with a knife to the chest.

He roared, swinging wildly while he collapsed to the ground with a painful thud and the kriffer moved on to Dalla.

 _Ellie...Dalla._

 _…_

 _Ellie…_

The woman coming towards him through the heavy white mist looked like Ellie. She had the same flaming red hair and noble Harkon features, but there was something different about her. The way she was dressed was… archaic, like something from a bygone age. A sash across her chest sheathed several throwing knives and on each hip hung a lethal looking long dager. She was beautiful and deadly.

"Hello, Sloan Murphy." She grinned at him.

"I know who you are," he stammered, "Y-you're Sanya 'The Knife' Harkon!"

"Aye, and you're standin' on the deck of my ship."

He looked around himself and spun in place. The mist had become solid, a gleaming white ship. "This is the _Bloody Galia_!"

He had been brought up on the legends just like every sailor of the Northern Sea. He knew what it meant when the salt white ghost ship appeared. "Am I dead?"

"Not quite." The pirate shook her head. She was watching him intently, judging him, but she seemed pleased with what she saw.

That couldn't be all there was to it. "But you are here to collect someone?"

"There are many who have and will leave the shore of the living before this day is over." Still she studied him as if willing him to ask.

"Kriff! It's Dalla! You've come for the captain!"

She threw back her head and laughed. "Do you know how much I'd love to have Dalla Blackwell as a member of my crew? No, when it's her time she'll be welcomed into the salt gods' halls."

He was relieved. It was only right his ersatz little sister should be with her family when her time came and that time wasn't now!

Captain Sanya Harkon was waiting. Did she expect him to say something else?

When he didn't she continued, "I have a proposition for you."

He was beginning to become uncomfortable with the way she was examining him. "I thought you said I was still alive?"

She shrugged as if that was a matter that was easy to fix. "I'd like you to join my crew."

Suddenly his mind was full of all of the adventures he would be a part of if he accepted her invitation to go marauding with the ghostly company. He recognized members of the band as some of the legendary sailors he had grown up hearing stories about and they were all beckoning for him to come along with them. It was tempting, very tempting.

But he knew he couldn't do it. There was still work to be done and there was… Ellie. "I'm sorry, Captain. I can't. I have to go back. If Dalla's not done yet, I've got to be there for her… and Ellie." He added under his breath.

The ghost captain frowned. Was it disappointment or something else? She didn't elaborate, she only drew one of her knives and holding it by the point admonished him, "Keep watch over her! I'll know if you haven't and…"

She tossed the weapon and he felt it strike home between his ribs.

…

Sloan woke up to the fire in his chest and something trying to squeeze the life out of his arm.

"Kriffing Dxun!" He ripped his arm free of the offending device and earned himself a startled yelp from the young nurse who'd been taking his blood pressure. "Sorry," he panted when he finally got his bearings.

"No harm done," the nurse cautiously reapplied the blood pressure cuff. "You were out for a while. Fighting men really did a number on you."

"The siege!" How long had he been out? Kriff that, what happened while he was out? Did they win? Where was Dalla? Had she made it? Where was Ellie? Did she know where he was? "What the kriff -?" 

"The rebels won," the nurse said with the indifference of someone who'd repeated the same thing half a hundred times. "The Separatists turned tail and ran when the northerners broke through the gates."

That didn't answer half his questions. Sloan scrambled up in bed again, wincing at the pain. "I need a news holo!" He had no idea how the nurse was going to get him one but she didn't have to. The man in the bed next to him held out a cog-eared holomag and Sloan snatched it up and started skimming.

The other men in the field medcenter watched him frantically tear through the publication. They'd hedged a few bets over whether or not he would wake up, being out as long as he had, but no matter where the chits lay none of them expected this reaction.

Dalla's name jumped out at him and he stopped skimming to actually read the story. Thank the gods, she was alive! She'd been spotted leaving the main medcenter with her father, seemingly unhurt but wearing medcenter-issue scrubs with an empty look in her eyes and the story said that Sanjay Rash …

"He _raped_ her?!" Sloan roared.

He tried to scramble out of his bed but was stopped both by the pain in his chest and a man who grabbed him before his feet hit the floor and shoved him back into bed.

"Lie down!" The man ordered. "I kept you from goin' to the salt gods' halls once and I'll be kriffed if you go because you're being stupid."

"Where's Elinor Harkon?" He demanded. "She has someone to kill too; we're gonna do it together! We'll each get our sleemos and kill 'em and we'll bring their heads back as trophies. Just tell me where she is!"

The man above him sighed and Sloan got a good look at him. He'd never forget that face. That face had gotten him treatment the day he lost his eye.

"Bralykburn, where is she? Please, tell me."

Hugo Bralykburn shook his head. "She didn't make it through the siege, Murphy."

Sloan stopped struggling.

"You're lying," he said. "You're lying because you hate the family I sail for and you want to watch me suffer, you kriffing disgusting -."

Bralykburn didn't budge.

"Oh gods." Sloan sunk into his bed. "Oh gods, not Ellie. Take anyone else, take me instead. Just don't take Ellie!"

The gods stayed silent as did a certain ghostly captain. Was it Ellie that the _Bloody Galia_ had come to collect?

He didn't care if anyone saw him break down. They would just see him for what he really was - a stupid sod who thought he could be something more but wound up failing the only two people who meant a damn thing to him.

Dalla, violated. And _Ellie_ …

Just like that, all the beauty and wonder she had brought to the galaxy were gone. He could only hope that wherever she was, she was holding their baby.

Bralykburn spoke up: "Your captain doesn't know you're alive. I'll give her a comm."

"Don't! It would be better if I was dead." Sloan sobbed. "Someone get me a kriffing drink!"


	14. Do You Hear What I Hear?

**DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR?**

Rumors are the reason Sloan Murphy thought he'd failed his proxy sister. They're also causing mayhem back in the present.

Speaking of the present, Happy New Year all!

...

"Father, what do you think about this one?" Dalla turned her datapad to show him the image. "It's my favorite so far."

Marlon examined the page from the wedding dress retailer's HoloNet site. After he zoomed in on the dress in question and rotated the image to study it from all angles he smiled. "It's beautiful, Dalla. What do you think?"

"I like it," Dalla blushed and turned the 'pad back around. "I like it a lot."

"Is it what you want to wear to the salt formation?"

"I think so."

"Well then give me the 'pad." He added the wedding dress to his virtual cart and entered his payment information.

"Father, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm buying my daughter her wedding dress."

"Really?" She perked up before backpedaling. "You don't have to if you don't want to. It's been a good fishing season, and it's not like I can't afford -"

"I want to, Dalla." Marlon set the datapad with the completed order on his desk. "You're going to be a beautiful bride."

"Thank you!" Dalla hugged him. "I can't wait to try it on and show you."

"I'll make sure to get Lux out of the Hold that day." He only wished Lana could be there to see their daughter in a wedding dress. "The groom can't see the bride."

"Aye, that he can't." Her comlink rang and Dalla sighed when she saw the ID. "It's my first mate. I've got to take this."

"Go ahead." Marlon kissed her forehead. "I'll handle the rest of this."

"I'll tell you the second I get the package. Thank you so much!"

Marlon watched her go, still with the smile on her face, the smile of a bride who was going to be beautiful on her wedding day. Everyone should have that feeling and he was overjoyed he got to do this for her. Dalla did so much for him and for the north. She deserved to be happy on her wedding day.

Salt gods, her wedding day. For all his work in planning the wedding Marlon still could hardly believe his baby girl was getting married.

He was excited, of course. It wasn't every day your daughter got married. But Marlon was also nervous. Lux was a gentle, honorable man but Marlon knew he wasn't in love with Dalla. When he kissed her at dinner the night he arrived at the Hold, his heart wasn't in it. He was embarrassed and nervous, and when he looked at Dalla it was like Lux was wishing with all his heart she was someone else.

Since the crash thirteen years ago Dalla hadn't much optimism for a happy marriage, but Marlon had assured her that no shortage of young men would see her for who she was and the one she married would worship the very ground she walked on. It had seemed to work until the tabloids ran those lies about his daughter and Rash. Marlon wanted to track down the reporter who dared put such things to flimsi and teach him what happened when you messed with a Blackwell, but he was too busy responding as every family who'd previously fallen over themselves offering their sons withdrew their request for Dalla's hand.

Dalla put on a brave face when he broke the news to her. _"I understand, Father. No one would want their son to marry a ruined girl with a broken face."_

Then she went to her bedroom, shut the door, and cried when she thought nobody could hear her. Marlon never let her know he did. Instead he sat on the other side of the door with head in his hands, his heart breaking that his beautiful daughter was convinced no man would want her for any other reason than credits and power.

That would not happen. He would not allow it to happen.

So after he finalized the dress order Marlon opened his office closet, pulled out his harpoon gun, and took a stroll down to Lux's guest room.

"Lux?" He called through the door. "May I have a word?"

"Of course." Behind the door Lux moved some things around while Marlon shouldered the harpoon gun. "Have you seen Dalla? I wanted to ask her something about the wedding. Well, you might be a better source. I was wondering - ."

Lux opened the door to Marlon's harpoon pointing directly between his eyes.

"I didn't know you had one of those." To his credit, Lux was exceedingly calm.

"I keep it close."

"I take it we're having a different conversation than I thought."

"Aye, we are."

Lux stepped out of the doorway, leaning back to avoid the harpoon point but moving slowly enough Marlon could easily keep him in his aim. "I know Dalla didn't tell you about the negotiations we'd been involved in. We should have, but we were both so nervous and telling the family made it seem more real."

"It's very real, Bonteri." Marlon tightened his grip on the harpoon. "Your wedding's coming up quick, and Dalla's looking forward to it. Salt gods, I never thought I would see her look forward to her wedding."

"That she is." Lux didn't nod due to the harpoon in his face. "I can't think of a better match."

"Oh, but you can." Here the harpoon edged forward the slightest bit. "What about the Jedi advisor, from the war? I saw how you looked at her and I see how you look at Dalla."

Lux had the wisdom not to dismiss the accusation. "I...It's true, I loved Ahsoka but she's gone now. I don't know where she was when the Purge began, but nowhere in the galaxy is safe for someone like her. I couldn't find her no matter how hard I tried and believe me Lord Blackwell, I tried."

"Like how you tried to locate your Mandalorian half-sister, mother of your child who died in two different explosions?"

Lux suppressed a sigh when Marlon mentioned the gossip stories. "Dalla is my best friend. I don't love her the way I loved Ahsoka, but I care about her a great deal."

That was a good answer but Marlon wasn't done with him yet. "Dalla is _happy._ I don't care what you have to do, but you're going to keep her that way. She doesn't deserve to have marriage ruined for her again."

"I couldn't agree —."

"— And if you hurt her, then the last thing you'll see is this harpoon hurtling toward your head!"

Lux gulped. "Lord Blackwell, sir, I will do everything in my power to make sure you never have to get that thing out again. And it's not because of the threat."

He'd give Lux this. He was a smart man.

"You'd better hope you succeed." He growled and lowered the harpoon past Lux's neck, his chest, his gut, and lower still. It lingered there while Marlon never broke eye contact with the former senator.

…

Dalla had finished her business with the first mate and gone back to balancing ledgers when Lux walked into what would soon be their bedroom looking like he'd gone through a cyclone.

"What happened to you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Lord Marlon Blackwell. That's what happened to me."

She was worried something like this would happen. "Blaster rifle?"

 _"_ _Harpoon gun!_ You didn't tell me he had one of those!"

"Aye, he does." Dalla winced. "Are you okay?"

"I don't have a harpoon in my head, if that's what you mean," Lux said sarcastically and sat on the edge of her desk. "I didn't know I had such a reputation as a heartbreaker."

"He and I read the gossip stories in the holos. I laughed about how ridiculous they were, but he must have thought there was some truth in them. Salt gods Lux, I'm so sorry."

"I'm okay." He took a breath to center himself. "He seemed satisfied with what I said. But I'm going to be part of this family, I should be treated like part of it."

"You should and I don't know what got into him. He's been a little unhinged about my getting married ever since Sanjay Rash." She saw his _what the Dxun_ expression and rephrased. "Not that he thinks you're anything like that monster."

"That's comforting." Lux rolled his eyes.

"He's protective, but he can't treat you like that. I'll talk to him later."

"I'll make sure he doesn't put a harpoon through you."

"Pretty sure that threat only applied to you, holo star."

"I should probably cancel the gossip 'zine subscriptions. They've got to be all over our engagement like mynocks." He groaned and then held his hands out pantomiming a headline: "'Breaking News: Crown Prince of Onderon Engaged to Northern Lady. Is He Really Leaving His Other Loves Behind?"

Dalla shook her head. "Change 'northern lady' to 'kingslayer.' They're going to have their fun deciding whether or not I'm going to kill you."

"Of course they are." Lux lay backward across the desk in defeat. "We're going to be hiding from them for weeks before and after the wedding at least."

He sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets to rest when his fingers found something and he pulled out a faded cloth pouch.

"What's that?" Dalla angled for a better look.

 _"_ _That_ is what I wanted to ask you about before I nearly got harpooned." He dumped the pouch into his palm and held out the contents: a set of two silver rings. "They're my parents' wedding rings."

She had an idea of where this was going, and she liked it. "How long have you been carrying those?"

"I grabbed them on the way out of my house on Raxus. They were the only family heirlooms small enough to carry. Anyway," he shrugged. "I thought, maybe, we could wear them. We don't have to. We could buy a new set or if you have some of your own -."

"Aye, I'd love to wear them." Dalla cut him off gently and picked up the smaller of the two rings. She'd only met Mina once but she remembered the woman's kindness and compassion during what had then been her darkest hour.

"Really?" Lux perked up like he hadn't been expecting such an answer.

"They clearly mean a lot to you if you carried them around all these years. I'd be honored to wear them." She slipped the ring onto her finger to test it and held it up for him to see. "Look, it's a perfect fit."

"It is." His smile grew. "Let me get them cleaned, at least. I can take them to the same jeweler I got your engagement ring from when we go down to Iziz. That way we can have a whole new start."

…

If you are a clothes fiend like me (LS), Dalla's wedding dress is Princess Eugenie's wedding dress.


	15. Lovely Ladies

**LOVELY LADIES**

The shenanigans of the young girls of Blackhold usually ran thusly: Nessa Tandin would overhear some wild story or trend from a patron at the pub. This information she would then pass on to her best friend Lana Blackwell. They would do their research on the holonet and then Lana would convince the slightly older girl that she just had to try said trend. If Nessa got away with it, then it must be alright for Lana to attempt as well.

It was exactly this sequence of events that had led to the infamous belly button piercing. And it was the reason that both girls were now grounded from the holonet. They could however watch pre-approved holodisks and on this particular day Lana had brought one of her favorites over to the Tandins' apartment above the pub and the girls were watching it on a projector in Nessa's room while they took turns doing each other's hair and nails.

Lana knew every word of the songs in the musical based on the classic novel about the thief who was forever pursued by his former prison guard. They had just reached the scene in which the unfortunate young mother was forced to sell everything she had to earn credits to send to the people who were caring for her child and Lana was belting out the lyrics about the 'lovely ladies' just like she had for every other song so far.

It was about then Nessa began to get a little uncomfortable with the storyline. "I don't know if you should be singing this part."

Lana left off braiding the other girl's hair, completely baffled. "Why not?"

"Because they're…" Nessa lowered her voice. "whores and they're trying to get her to be one too."

"Oh." Lana thought about that. Of course she had heard the term before. Her cousin Dalla's ship was called the _Southern Whore_. But why would Dalla call her ship that if it was a bad thing? "What's wrong with that?" The lady in the holo wasn't happy to become a whore. In fact the lyrics to the song made it sound like she would rather die.

"Because they do the thing… to make babies… with men that they aren't even married to… and get paid for it." Nessa ended in a horrified whisper.

Lana rolled her eyes as if of course she knew all this already. She had actually had a conversation with Momma about something very similar only a few days ago. She knew that Kayla and Emoth had only been married a couple of weeks but the midwife who checked her out said that the baby was two months along.

Momma said, Emoth and Kayla had done things in the wrong order, that the wedding should have come before making the baby, but that we loved them and could forgive them since they were trying to make things right and of course it wasn't the baby's fault for being made first.

"Well, she's only doing it to take care of her child," Lana excused the holocharacter. "And the moff forgives her and takes care of her little girl anyway."

"I still don't know if Momma and Papa would like it if we were watching a holo with a… beast ride…"

Lana stared at her. "What did you say?" The holo had just reached the point where the woman had resorted to 'making money in her sleep' with the man lying on top of her and sort of moving around.

"That." Nessa pointed uncomfortably, trying not to look. "That's what some of the sailors call it when they… like mating cogs."

The two girls were silent for the rest of the scene. Maybe they shouldn't tell Aunt Maris which holo they watched. But Momma had been a Beast Rider. She did have a lot of kids… And that was another thing, "Why would Cade name his ship… _that_?"

"I don't know." Nessa whispered.

The holo moved on and Lana resumed her braiding. The poor young woman died and the moff fought with his old guard.

"Oh this is my favorite part!" Lana began to sing along with the sad little girl who was sweeping and cradling a rag doll in her arms.

"I remember this song. Aunt Shara taught it to you a long time ago." Nessa spoke up, glad that the more embarrassing scenes seemed to be over.

Lana nodded while she continued to sing. She thought of her momma singing her to sleep and she thought of the picture hanging on the wall in her room of Momma with her mother.

Both girls jumped when the music changed suddenly, even though Lana knew it was coming.

"I have to go ask your Papa something." Lana ran from the room, leaving Nessa calling after her. She raced down the stairs, looked around the dining room quickly, and not seeing her quarry slid behind the bar and into the kitchen.

"Uncle Grigori!" She was glad he was alone. Aunt Maris must have been in the greenhouse with Momma.

The former General was cutting vegetables over the sink. "What can I do for you little Lana?" He gave her an indulgent smile before looking down again at his work.

"You knew my Grandmother Hadassa?"

"She was my second cousin and yes I knew her. I've always said how much you take after…"

"Was she a whore?"

A piece of the tuber he was chopping went zooming across the room and the knife clattered into the metal bowl of the sink. "Where did you hear…" but of course he knew. _Why did Dalla have to pick that particular name for her flagship_? "Why would you think that?"

"Momma said that she was already in Grandmother's belly before… that was the reason that Grandfather married her."

"Ah you must have overheard her telling Kayla the story. Am I right?" He calmed a bit and motioned her over to his side.

Lana nodded and hurried to him curiously.

"She explained to you that it it's preferable for the wedding to come first?"

"But we forgave Kayla and Emoth because they're married now and they really love each other." She grabbed a piece of the chopped salad from the bowl and popped it into her mouth.

"And it was the same with your grandmother." He assured her. "She and your grandfather loved each other very much and they loved your Momma."

"So she didn't do it for money? That's the bad part, right?"

He wondered if he should really be the one explaining these things to the child. He tried to think of what Shara and Jamos would have him say and what he would, what he might still have to say to Nessa. _Salt gods, how were these little girls old enough for this conversation?_

"That's part of it but it's really better to wait until you've found someone you really love and say your vows till you…"

"Beast ride?" She asked innocently.

"Salt gods, child! Where did you…" but again he knew full well where she had heard the slang term.

Lana was already off and running again, satisfied with the answer he had given her. "Thank you, Uncle Grigori. I'm glad she wasn't a whore!" She called over her shoulder as she ran back out of the kitchen.

It might be time to have that discussion with Nessa sooner rather than later.

…

Lana skipped back into the Hold without a care in the world. She heard music and voices coming from the game room and wondered if Arkon was back from the docks and might play Jango Pods with her. She liked to race as the princess and Cade had told her about a shortcut on the Mon Calamari underwater tube track.

But as she got closer she realized that it wasn't Arkon or Cade. The voices had stopped when she peeked around doorway and now she saw over the back of the couch that Emoth and Kayla were kissing.

Lana wondered how they could do it so long without coming up for air until they finally broke apart to Kayla's giggling as if he had tickled her.

Emoth asked her, "the midwife did tell you that we wouldn't hurt the baby if we…"

She giggled again cutting off the end of the question. "She said regular marital activities are perfectly harmless."

And then Lana watched as her brother pulled the girl onto his lap and they resumed kissing in earnest. They were sort of moaning and then Kayla started to move on top of him like…

Lana gasped and then spun around and ran back down the hallway yelling, "Emoth and Kayla are beast riding in the game room!"

She ran right into her mother who was just coming in from the greenhouse. "What did you say?" Shara took hold of her daughter's shoulders gently, sure she couldn't have heard that correctly.

"They're beast riding! In the game room!" Lana insisted.

"You mean they're playing some sort of dalgo or ruping holo game?" Shara hoped.

Lana shook her head. "No. She was on top of him and…"

Emoth raced down the hall. "We were not _beast riding_!"

"We were only kissing, Mrs.- er Shara." Kayla was a few steps behind him. "And we were fully clothed."

"And we had no idea that she was even home. We thought she'd gone over to the Tandins' to watch a holo."

Shara did what any mother would do under the circumstances, she overreacted. "You can't… How could you? Right in the middle of… where anyone could come along… where your baby sister did come along! I'm going to have to speak to your father about this. I realize that you're married now but there are a lot of people living in this holdfast and we must… I think it would be best if the two of you go back to your room for now and we'll discuss it…"

"Mom, I'm 18! You can't just send me to my room!" Emoth protested.

He was right of course but Shara didn't know what else to do and now she was going to have to have a chat with her 10 year old daughter about what all this meant…

"It's alright." Kayla said softly. "She's right we shouldn't have… Come on Emoth. We're sorry, Mrs. Blackwell. We won't let it happen again."

Emoth followed his wife but he looked back at his mother angrily as he went.

Shara knew she had handled that badly. She needed to cool off and then she would go and apologize to her son.

"Momma, are you okay?" Lana asked.

Shara had forgotten that the little girl was still standing there. "Aye. Of course. Momma is fine, sweetheart. I just need to get supper started. Why don't you go play in your room until daddy gets home?"

"Am I in trouble too?" Lana frowned as she turned to obey.

"No, no one is in trouble. We'll talk about this later."

"Does that mean I'm not grounded from the holonet anymore?" She called back hopefully.

"No, you're still grounded. This has nothing to do with that punishment."

"Aww, Momma." Lana complained but she obeyed nonetheless.

…

Shara was cooking furiously when Jamos arrived home from the docks half an hour later.

"Uh-oh. I know that posture. Somebody's had a hard day today." He stepped up behind her and began to rub her shoulders.

"It's…" she growled in frustration but melted into the comforting massage. "Too many people in this holdfast."

"Right here, right now, it's just you and me." He turned her to face him and kissed her deeply.

Part of her knew they needed to talk but it felt so good to be in his arms after dealing with their children all day. And then…

"I am so sorry!" Kayla's voice gasped before she turned and ran from the kitchen again.

"Oh no." Shara groaned.

"What?" Her husband laughed. It's not like it was the first time the two of them had been caught together in the last 25 + years.

"This is not good." she told him.

Emoth was marching down the hallway in the next minute. "Aye sure. We get reamed out for kissing in the game room but the old people can kriff all day in the kitchen. Is that what this is?"

Jamos gaped at his son in shock. "That is not... and you do not speak to your mother that way young man!"

"No, he's…" Shara laid a hand on her husband's arm. "He's right Jamos. I spoke to harshly to Emoth and Kayla this afternoon for… showing affection in a public area where anyone could come along. I think we should have a family meeting."

Jamos frowned but he nodded and Emoth agreed as well.

"After supper everyone over 18." she sighed remembering that the age restriction would leave out her daughter-in-law. "Or married to someone who is, will gather here for a discussion about…"

"That only leaves out Lana and Arkon." Emoth pointed out. He was right. Cornel was at the Harkons' doing his shipbuilding apprenticeship.

"Well, they can watch a holo or something while we discuss…"

He interrupted again. "She's the one that started all this. She obviously knows what it's about. And Arkon's been spending all his time on board Dad's ship so he's most likely heard far worse too."

"Alright! Aye! Full family meeting." Shara threw up her hands. "And you can tell your cousins that they will be explaining to your baby sister why they felt the need to give their vessels such vulgar names!"

…

"And that's why I named my ship the _Beast's Ride,"_ Cade said to the gathered assembly. "I like animals, I wanted to ride a dalgo when I was in Iziz, and I thought it was a funny pun."

Lana cocked her head and stared at her cousin. "That's it?"

"Aye Lana, that's it."

"But your ship's name, it means...the _thing,_ that people do -."

"I think we all know what _thing_ you're talking about, Baby Girl," Jamos cut her off.

"It was a joke." Cade really didn't want to defend his ship's name again. "That and I may or may not have gone to the pub that night, but that's not a big deal."

"And that's just one more lesson for the night," Marlon said. "Never name a ship or anything else after you've had too much to drink."

"Though that's not the main lesson." Shara brought the group back to its main mission. "That's the explanation for one of our ships. Now what about the other?"

Dalla winced. "I suppose you're talking about mine?"

"Unless _Polaris_ has some northern double-meaning I'm not privy to," Lux replied.

Dalla shook her head at her soon-to-be husband. "Lana, the _Southern Whore_ is named after a friend of Lux's and mine."

Lana's eyes went wide. "You were friends with a whore?"

"No!" Lux burst out a little too quickly. "She wasn't a whore, but someone called her that once. Her name was Steela Gerrera and she was kind, and fearless. She was an incredible leader."

Dalla reached for his hand. "She was the kind of Lady I can only hope to be. What she lacked in formality she made up in energy and trust. It was like she could see right into your soul, but you weren't afraid of what she might find."

"We were lucky to be her friends." Lux gave Dalla's hand a squeeze. "I only wish you could have met her too."

Lana furrowed her brow. "But if she was so great, then why did someone call her a whore?"

"He was someone who was trying to get under her skin," Dalla explained. "He was arrogant, and angry, and he learned very quickly who he was talking to."

Lux snorted. "I'd say he did. Steela didn't let anyone walk over her."

"She took what was supposed to be an insult and turned it into a badge of pride."

Kayla who had remained silent until this point spoke up. "Arrogant and angry and trying to get under her skin? Sounds a little like my Papa when he gets riled."

Lux and Dalla shared a look.

Jamos grinned. "It does, a bit."

Shara elbowed him tactfully.

"The point is," Dalla said. "That my ship is named in Steela's honor. And that's why she's called the _Southern Whore._ Not because I condone whoring or wanted to be vulgar, but because that was the name Steela took and turned into a victory."

"Oh." Lana nodded and hopped to her feet. "Okay! Can I go now? I want to tell Nessa how the ships got their names."

"You'll have to wait until tomorrow, Baby Girl." Shara said. "Right now it's too close to your bedtime, and I don't think either one of us wants to extend your grounding for staying out too late."

Lana sighed. "Aye, Momma."

…

"Is there always so much chaos here, or is the last week an anomaly?" Lux asked while he finished packing his suitcase. "Please say it's an anomaly."

"You can never tell with this family." Dalla handed him a folded shirt. "This week has _nothing_ on salt and light."

Lux shuddered. "I never thought I'd think of a trip to Iziz to announce our engagement as a _vacation."_


	16. A Spider is Born

**A SPIDER IS BORN**

It really was nice of him to walk her around the palace gardens. Dalla had given King Dendup plenty of chances to decline. He was a king and a busy man, she understood if there was something more pressing than for him to be her tour guide.

"Nonsense." Dendup patted her shoulder and guided her to the patio door. "When you marry Lux in a few months, this will all be yours. And besides I won't have a young lady walking alone, not when there's so much to show you."

"Kason told me about you and the carnivorous plants." She couldn't help but smile. Even when he was being held prisoner, Ramsis Dendup self-appointed grandfather of everyone took time to share the wonder of the world with the younger generation.

Dendup smiled too at the memory. "He was fascinated by them. Spent an hour or so trying to catch insects to feed to them, but he didn't have much luck. Still it kept his mind off things until Rash came to get him."

"Aye." She went quiet.

"He brought his new bride to see the gardens," the king said brightly in an effort to turn the subject back to something cheery. "They are a sweet couple though I don't think the carnivorous plants would interest you as much as they did them. There's something else I think you'd enjoy."

Dalla mustered her good humor again and followed him out the door. "I'm happy to learn."

It wasn't the orchard or the ostentatious blooming bushes he led them to but a smaller garden, almost hidden against the wall and behind a hedge. The plants there weren't ugly or unkempt, there seemed to be no reason to keep them out of sight.

"What are these?"

"This garden has been in my family for a thousand years." Dendup lowered himself onto the raised edge of the planter so he could reach the plants easier. "It's helped us hold the wardenship as long as we have."

"They're poisons!" Dalla dropped onto the planter and reached out to the plants.

Dendup smiled seeing the look of fascination which had spread across her face. "The one you're reaching for is nightshade. One drop of its essence will dull pain and bring a man sleep. Ten drops, and he'll sleep forever."

"In his wine?"

"That's one way I suppose. Any food or drink will do. The same is true with wolfsbane. A taste of it, and two hours later the victim will be dead without a trace."

Dalla turned her attention to the flower. "How so? Two hours is hardly long enough to digest something."

"It isn't digested. When the symptoms begin the victim expels the poison, but by that point it's already seeped into their bloodstream. A favorite of politicians, but it lacks the showmanship of the next." He plucked a sprig of a short, herbal-looking plant without blooms or berries, only small green leaves and held it up. "This is Dalla's Tears."

Her eyes twitched at the inclusion of her name. "How did it get its name?"

Dendup, lover of a good story, had so wanted her to ask that. "Your namesake, the first Lady of the North and mother of poor murdered Marla, was never the same after the death of her daughter. Legend has it she prayed every night for the gods to bring down a terrible death on those responsible, that they might feel a fraction of her pain." He handed the sprig to Dalla. "This was the gods' answer to her prayers. With careful preparation it forms a clear crystal, tasteless and odorless when dissolved in a liquid. It causes the victim's throat to clench, strangling them where they stand."

Dalla took the sprig and regarded it carefully.

"Have you used it before?"

"No. The art of poison is old, and wrought with difficulty. It requires exact measurements and careful calculation. You watch your victim die a thousand times before the poison touches his lips. I never had the patience or the precision to master it." He sighed. "Maybe if I did I would have been able to stop Rash."

"That wasn't your fault. He and his mother played the entire planet for fools."

"Maybe it wasn't, but it was still my throne to defend and I failed. If only the Kiras had seen it fit to come back..." He looked back to the poisons indicating that conversation was over.

"Poisons can make a mouse as fearsome as a nexu," he said and placed a hand on Dalla's shoulder. "And in a galaxy which so heavily favors the nexus, the mice must take whatever advantage they can get."

…

Sanjay Rash was in her dreams tonight. Again.

The nightmare didn't come as frequently as it had during the war — and holy kriff, it had nothing on the one she'd had after the execution — but it still came to torment her especially when she was in the palace.

He was monstrously strong, and no matter how she screamed or tore his flesh he didn't stop. But when the pain-filled tears began to leak down her face, he froze.

She watched with horror and amazement as Rash toppled off her and grabbed at his throat. It wouldn't help. His own body had turned against him.

He gasped and twitched on the floor, eyes bulging and face turning purple.

There was a knock on the chamber door and a call of _"Dalla?"_

Dalla bolted from the dream, soaked in sweat.

"Dalla, are you okay?" Lux knocked on her chamber door more urgently than before. "I heard screaming."

It took a second to collect herself. "I'm fine. It was just a bad dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Her fiancé was the last person she wanted to talk about it with. "No that's alright. You should go back to sleep, it's too early to be up."

There was a pause and then Lux slowly eased her chamber door open, probably to make sure no one was holding a blaster to her head.

"That sounded intense. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Lux really I'm fine." She grabbed a robe off the bedpost where she'd left it and wrapped it around herself. "Thanks for checking on me, but I'm fine."

He didn't look so convinced and met her midway between her bed and the door.

"Alright," he sighed and hugged her. "Just please...tell me if ever you're not. I want us to be there for each other in this marriage."

"I do too." _I don't know how you could help me with this._

"Glad we're on the same page." He pulled back from the hug and hesitantly kissed her.

This she could handle. She'd kissed the vassal's boy, and Saw, and Lux a few times. They had to practice for the people, to make it look good for the announcements. But suddenly she was there in his arms in her nightgown so close to her bed and his lips left her mouth to trail down to her throat.

"Stop!" Dalla pushed him away harder than she intended and he stumbled backward.

Lux grabbed the doorjamb to regain his balance. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have … if you're not ready then…"

"Just go, please!"

She didn't have to tell him twice. He turned and ran down the hallway, throwing one last worried look her way.

Dalla pulled the robe tighter like a coat of armor and ran the opposite way, out the patio door and into the gardens.

She didn't know how long she wandered before she reached the poison garden and collapsed onto the side of the planter, chest heaving.

How was she going to do this? She might have an excuse now, but after the wedding he would expect more of her. He would expect the one thing she was terrified to offer him. What would he do when he grew tired of waiting? She and Lux were best friends, but Dalla knew better than most how men change behind closed doors. And the only things she could imagine behind any closed door were sailors' drunken groping hands or Sanjay's brutality and force. She'd barely escaped one of those things and it haunted her dreams still. She couldn't bear the thought of it happening at the hands of her only friend.

Dalla grasped the sides of the planter to ground herself and her hand brushed against something: the sprig of Dalla's Tears Dendup had picked for her that morning.

She picked it up. How Dalla's Tears had shifted the balance of power in her dream. And how having something like it could shift some of the real forces of men in her favor. What had Dendup said? Poisons can make a mouse fearsome as a nexu?

 _I won't be a mouse or a nexu,_ she thought as she tucked the sprig and then a cut of the wolfsbane into her robe pocket. _I'll be a spider._

 _I am small, it's true, and no one notices me unless they want to crush me. But my bite can kill the biggest fambaa or the most fearsome drexl._

She made her way around the garden, taking pieces of each plant to place into water and grow for herself. It wasn't like Dendup would mind. He said himself, one day this would all be hers.

 _And it will. I am a spider._

 _I won't let anyone crush me. I will strike down anyone who stands in my way._

…

Kriffing Dxun, what had he done? Lux paced his chamber floor, rubbing his temples. What was he thinking?

He wasn't. He'd heard Dalla's screams from down the hall and run in to help her. He'd thought only to make sure she was safe and to console her so she could sleep. It couldn't be easy for her to be in the palace for the first time after the rebellion, but he assumed they could talk through it and both rest a little easier tonight.

And then she sat up wearing only a thin white nightgown, and Lux's brain turned off.

The mental image sprung into his mind and with it came the feeling of her in his arms. She was small and strong, with a woman's softness and curves and her hair smelled good, like she'd just washed it...

Lux shook his head to clear it. If he thought about her much longer he'd need a cold shower of his own. He should have just excused himself and gone to do that. But no, instead he'd practically shot his impending marriage in the foot. He shouldn't have kissed her. And he especially shouldn't have tried to take it farther.

If only he'd been thinking with his head and not another body part! He'd never realized it before, but he was very attracted to his soon-to-be wife. Of course he knew they would consummate at some point and produce an heir, what else were political relationships for, but he hadn't counted on how much he would truly want her.

Would Dalla ever want him after tonight? Or would she only come to him out of duty? He didn't want that. He didn't want her to feel like she had to do anything. He wanted her to come to him because she wanted him, with her smiles and laughter and lust.

Fat chance of that happening now. He'd broken Dalla's trust. How could they have a marriage without trust?

…

Lux could barely look at her all through breakfast. Dendup didn't push either one of them, so he must have witnessed some of what happened last night.

After the mostly silent meal Dalla retreated to the library. If anything remained of the Dendups' poison knowledge it would be there. She wasn't dissuaded by the search, but it turned out to be easier than she thought. Following the same principles of the garden, she found the old leatherbound books tucked away on a back shelf.

The past Dendups were poisoning geniuses. They kept careful notes on the preparation, administration, and effects of hundreds of toxins.

"Is now a bad time?"

She knew who it was before he spoke. Only Lux or Dendup paid her much attention. "No, this isn't anything important." She closed the poison book and gave Lux her full attention. "What is it?"

"Dalla, I…" he gulped. "I am so sorry about what happened last night. I shouldn't have done it, especially while you were upset."

"No, you shouldn't."

He nodded in understanding. "I never want to make you uncomfortable like that again. If and when we consummate this relationship, it will be because you want to."

It couldn't all be on her terms no matter what he said. This was a political union. They had to consummate and produce an heir, or rather at least two to secure succession for both their houses. But the thought that he was placing the initial interaction into her hands was comforting.

"I don't know when I'll be ready." She admitted. "But it won't be until after the wedding."

"Of course. I shouldn't have even suggested that we, before …"

"Don't say what you shouldn't have done. It's in the past now. And please don't look at me like you're afraid of me. Unless you are, in which case it's I who should be sorry for making you feel that way."

"I'm not." He rushed to say. "I'm ashamed of what happened last night. It's nothing you did."

"Can we pretend it never happened?" They couldn't enter a marriage tiptoeing around each other. Dalla didn't know much about the subject, but she did know that.

Lux looked relieved to hear it. "Yes, of course we can."

"Then we will."

It wouldn't solve the problem, or make it any better. But at least it bought Dalla time to figure something out.

Time for that, and to learn as much as she could about her newly chosen weapon. She'd already placed the cuttings from the garden into water. With the books from the library she could learn how to grow and use them.

She would. She was going to be a queen, and she couldn't afford not to have a weapon. Not when there was so much at stake and she had so much to lose.

She would never, ever, let the rest of the galaxy see her as weak again.


	17. We Might Be Dead By Tomorrow

**WE MIGHT BE DEAD BY TOMORROW**

We shall be taking another little voyage into the past for the first part of this chapter and then I promise we'll bring you all up to date. This time we'll be traveling into the memories of Adria Harkon who has gone through so much heartache, surviving both of her daughters, back to when her family only seemed to be growing…

...

She had been so busy planning Ephraim's wedding. She knew that she really had been neglecting her other children. If not for the tragedy of that storm so many years ago it surely would have been Elinor's wedding they were planning with the Bralykburns.

Adria wondered what it would have been like picking out invitations and place settings and fabric and flowers with her dear friend Yanara. Perhaps if she and Dominic had lived Hugo would have never lost his temper with the Blackwells. Perhaps the twins could have had a double wedding: Ellie to Dominic and Ephraim to Dalla Blackwell. All of the northern houses would have been united and at peace.

But then she supposed if that were the case Hugo would have never met and married Suzelle and they wouldn't have had their precious girls. The one event had changed so much. And what was the use really of imagining "what if…"?

Things were as they were. Adria still missed Yanara, and Lana as well, as she made the preparations to marry off her oldest child. Their help would have been invaluable in the planning for such a huge public event. Hugo did what he could. But if it had been his choice they would have cut the guest list at least by half.

He had bought some lovely cloth for the girls' dresses down in Iziz. The color was just perfect for each of them. Who would have thought that Hugo Bralykburn of all people knew how to pick a dress for a young lady for a formal occasion.

Talia was a sweet girl and she was a good big sister to the twins. She would be a good wife for Ephraim and a good mother some day. Adria had to smile at the idea of grandchildren.

She had been glad to be done with having her own babies after Miranda was born. That child was a handful on her own, as much as the twins had ever been together.

Ellie and Ephry had been inseparable when they were small, a matched set. Maybe that's why Elinor seemed so out of sorts the last few weeks. She was getting her best girl friend as a sister-in-law but that relationship was bound to change now that Talia would be a wife.

Maybe Ellie was thinking that her brother was making his way into waters that she had never tested and would not be able to follow him into for some time. She'd never talked about any boys that she'd been particularly interested in. Maybe she would rather not get her hopes up believing that she would have to submit to whatever marriage partner her lord father arranged for her. The truth was they hadn't even started looking. After Dominic's death and with the Blackwell boys being so young, Glover hadn't put much thought into it.

Maybe he should. Maybe if Elinor knew that they were considering options they could let her in on the discussions. It would be nice if they could just let her choose like Marlon and Lana hoped to allow their children.

Adria just wished that her daughter would speak to her. She'd not been feeling well. Perhaps if Adria brought her daughter her favorite soup and brown bread she could get Ellie to open up a bit and tell her mother what was on her mind.

The wedding plans could wait for a bit. That's what she would do. Ellie just hadn't been the same since she got back from her last voyage. Adria would clear her evening of everything else, prepare some food, and then see to her oldest daughter.

…

And have the door practically slammed in her face.

Ellie didn't mean to be rude. Adria had raised her better than to behave like that to her parents. And Ellie had said she was sorry. But the moment that Adria had tried to enter the room with the fragrant soup, Elinor had gone green, covered her mouth with her hand and rushed to the fresher.

Either Elinor was more ill than her mother had believed or else… But Ellie didn't have a boyfriend, at least not one whom she had introduced to her family. Maybe she had gotten close to someone among her crew on the last voyage. She knew to keep on board relationships on a professional level however. You couldn't keep control as an officer if you were sleeping with your shipmates.

No, that wasn't it, Adria was certain. Besides, every member of Ellie's crew had been with her for years and years. It was nigh on impossible for her to have developed that sort of feelings for one of them after so much time sailing together. But if it wasn't a member of her own crew, maybe when they had stopped for shore leave in another port?

It had been a fishing voyage and they had brought back their entire catch. They hadn't even set into another port. Well then, Adria set down the tray and with hands on hips paced back and forth thinking.

The crew did have quite the celebration down at the pub when they returned to the Hall, and there had been other crews who joined in the festivities. Dalla was in port with her _Maiden's Heel._ She stayed the night in the holdfast with Miranda. Miranda talking her ear off about the wedding preparations no doubt.

But they didn't see Elinor that night. Miranda had gone to fetch her in the morning and she was in her room but salt gods only know how late she had stayed out the night before. Perhaps that was when… whatever happened.

Adria sighed and made her way back to her daughter's bedroom without the tray of food. She knocked quietly on the door. "Ellie, it's Momma. Are you alright?"

"I'm not feeling well." The voice returned, muffled through the door. "I'm not hungry. I'm just going to go to bed." That wasn't like Elinor at all and neither was the slight hitch of a sob in the girl's voice that she couldn't quite disguise.

Adria wanted to go right in. She wanted to mother her baby girl. Take her into her arms and rock her to sleep if she wasn't feeling well. Either that or burst in and demand that Ellie tell her exactly what was wrong. She did neither.

"Elinor, I'm sorry your not feeling well. If there's anything I can do to help, or if there's anything that you'd like to talk about… I love you, Ellie, and I always will. You know that, don't you? No matter what."

"Aye, Momma." Yes there was definitely a stifled sob in her voice. "I don't need anything right now but… thank you."

…

Adria tried to throw herself back into the wedding planning. If Elinor needed something she would come to her mother. She always had before. And then one day she did.

A look of absolute horror pained the poor girl's face and her hand was clutching her abdomen. "Momma!" This Adria was sure, was not just a bad case of cramps.

The concerned mother dropped what she was doing immediately. "Come on, sweetheart. Tell Momma everything." She closeted them together in Ellie's room so that no one could come in and interrupt.

Through gasps and sobs the whole story was revealed. They had only been together the once but they had kept in contact since then. They liked each other very much but he was only a first mate and not from a noble family. She hadn't told him about the baby. She didn't know how to tell Papa. And now… It hurt! And there was blood!

Adria held her daughter and rocked her and let the story come flowing out with no scolding or condemnation. Right now she was hurting. Her heart was broken both for the child she was losing and the young man she believed she had fallen in love with.

"You won't tell Papa?" Ellie asked. The fear of discovery increased exponentially the expression of devastation on her face.

"I think your father wouldn't want to be left out in the cold about something like this."

"I- I just don't want him to hurt Sloan. He didn't force me and and he did try to use something it must have just…"

"Shhh…" Adria drew the girl close to her once again. "Here's what we'll do. We'll tell everyone that you and I decided to go out for a while because I've been spending so much time and energy on your brother. We'll go to the midwife together, and then…" She took a deep breath and let it out. "If there is still something to tell we will tell both your father and the baby's father together."

It was one of the hardest things Adria Kretash Harkon had ever done in her entire life, sitting there by her baby's side through the night while she lost her baby. And then agreeing to keep this event from her husband had been harder still. That man loved his children with the ferocity of a chirn on the hunt. If he knew his daughter was hurting he would want to wrap his arms around her in one of his crushing hugs and then murder the beast who had caused her to suffer.

While they were checking out of the med center Ellie got a text on her comm unit. "It's Sloan. Dalla's his captain. She found out somehow and… confronted him. How could she have found out?"

"Your sister probably worked out where we'd gone…"

"Miranda!" Elinor hissed but before she could vow to end her little sister Adria laid a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll speak with her. There's nothing to tell, Aye?"

"Aye Momma." She began typing into the comm unit. "I'm gonna tell him it was a false alarm."

"That's probably for the best." Adria agreed and then she added. "Elinor it would probably be best to end things with the boy now."

Tears streaked down Elinor's face but she nodded before she keyed in a few more words and then put the comm unit back in her pocket. She tried to hold her composure for a moment and then dissolved into her mother's arms. "Oh Momma!"

"I'm so sorry, Ellie, I'm so so sorry." Adria soothed through her own weeping. "Some day when the time is right and you meet the right young man, a baby will be the best thing in the whole galaxy. It just wasn't the right time for this little one."

"I know, Momma," Elinor gulped and they both dried their eyes and went to buy some stupid little thing to make it look like they'd only been out on a shopping expedition.

Elinor didn't speak of him again. But in less than a year she and and Miranda both… were gone.

Adria had seen the young man, Sloan, at Ephraim and Talia's wedding. He had the gall to bring some floozy as his date. And then she heard that he had died in the Siege like so many others. She never expected to see him again in her own home.

She heard the heavy footfalls and her son's whispers paired with someone else's slurred mumblings and had gone to investigate. Ephraim half carried the patch-eyed man into a little used guest room and slung him down to lean against a wall.

Adria followed, shutting the door behind them. "Is that -?"

Ephraim nodded. "I found him drunk on the docks. I couldn't believe when I first saw him; last I heard he was dead."

"I'se supposed t' be," Sloan Murphy slurred and pulled out a hip flask. "Salt gods got a real mean sense a' humor."

Ephraim snatched the flask from him. "You're here to sober up."

"Why waste the effort?" Sloan made another grab for the flask. "I'm not worth it."

Adria raised an eyebrow at her son in agreement.

"Ellie loved you," Ephraim asserted. "That makes you worth more than rotting away in a puddle of rum."

Did it? Adria wondered. Ellie seemed to like him very much, but did her precious daughter mean a single thing to the drunk? She couldn't have if he brought some tramp as his date to Ephraim's wedding and salt gods knew how many others he'd been off gallivanting with. But in a second she was proved very wrong.

"Ellie," Sloan's voice hitched. "She's the reason I deserve to rot away. Couldn't save her. Couldn't be there for her. Gods damn it!" He wiped away angry tears.

Adria watched him, this supposed womanizer who'd put her daughter in the worst situation of her life, broke down in genuine sobs over the loss of Ellie and the baby she'd carried. She knew then she'd greatly misjudged him.

"Mother," Ephraim brought her back to reality. "Could you fetch Sloan some water and something to eat?"

"Of course." She swiftly made her exit. Anything would be better than listening to Sloan's grief dredge up her own.

...

The food silenced the display faster than anything. Sloan nailed down three entire plates before he passed out.

Adria held her tongue until she could see that the man was asleep and then she hissed at her son, "You know what he did to your sister."

"Aye." Ephraim nodded. "She asked me to stand up with her so they could say their vows as soon as the siege was over." Of course he remembered. It was one of the last conversations he had ever had with his twin. "She said they'd almost beat Tal and me to the punch and they wanted to make up for lost time, see if they could catch us up."

"And you think she would have done it?" she sobbed. "She would have married him without consulting your father and I?"

"It was a war, Momma. None of us was sure whether we'd be coming back or not." Ephraim choked up as well at the memory. "I almost thought it was a blessing, when I heard he had died as well. I couldn't imagine either one of them having to go on living without the other."

Ephraim threw the coverlet from the bed over the man and left some fresh water for him to rehydrate. "Let him be, Momma. He could use a good rest."

She nodded but she still seemed unsure. Meanwhile, Ephraim had twin girls who needed to be put to bed before they tore the Hall stone from stone.

"Can we have another Sanya story, Papa?" Maia asked sweetly after he'd wrangled them into their beds.

Ephraim silently thanked Hugo Bralykburn for buying the twins the largest treasury of Sanya Harkon's tales he could find. He didn't have the concentration to make up a story about their legendary ancestor at the moment. Instead he opened the book to a random page and began reading.

The chapter he'd flipped to was the story of Sanya finding a traitor in her ranks. In a conspiratorial whisper he read of how the man was stealing from his crewmates and the astute captain found him out. "She checked the clues one last time and when she confirmed her suspicions, she called the traitor into her cabin."

"Did he come?" Fiona whispered.

"Aye, he did. He came into her cabin bold as brass, and he said -."

"You reading about Sanya Harkon?" Sloan Murphy stumbled through the door with the worst possible timing.

The twins shrieked with fright and hid under their covers while Ephraim jumped from his chair. "It's alright girls. Go to sleep." He told them before he pulled Sloan into the hallway.

"You should get some sleep," he said as he led the man back to his own room.

Sloan ignored him. "I dreamed about her."

"Who, Ellie?"

"No the pirate. When I was passed out she asked me to join her crew. I considered it. Maybe that's my only option now."

It wasn't the first time an almost-dead sailor had claimed to see the ghost captain. Ephraim didn't know what all to make of the sightings but he did know there seemed to be a nugget of truth in them. "What else did she tell you?

"To watch out for my captain." He shook his head.

"Maybe you can find a way to do that."

"How? Fat lot of good I've been to her. I looked for her at that Representative's funeral. She wasn't there. She couldn't stand to be in the palace after what that _sleemo -"_ he grimaced unable to finish the sentence. "And I wasn't there. I should have been with her when she went into the palace. I should have stopped him."

"You might not have been able to protect her then, but you can now. The Empire's coming at us from all sides. You know she'll step to them before she lets them get to us. If you could weaken them, get rid of their supplies or personnell, you could keep them away from Dalla."

"You want me to become a kriffing pirate." Sloan laughed harshly. "How in hells am I supposed to become a pirate? Me and my eyepatch and what, a rowboat?"

Ephraim could see the plan taking form. "There's a ship in the yards. She just passed all the testing and she's ready for her maiden voyage but no one's assigned to her yet. No one would notice if she sailed off one day with some of the free signers who've been hanging around."

Sloan was listening now. "Is that so?"

"There's no shortage of men and women who'd like nothing more than to stick it to the Imps. They just need a leader to tell them how to do it."

He considered for a second. "This ship. What's her name?"

 _"_ _Ellie's Revenge."_

Ephraim had commissioned the ship at the same time as his flagship _Miranda's Revenge._ They were supposed to sail to Iziz together as a dual tribute to his sisters but there had been setbacks with the _Ellie._ She'd proven stubborn to put together and only now was she ready for the open water. Now it seemed meant to be, Elinor's spirit pointing him to the ship's true captain.

Sloan's mouth twitched.

"I'll see her in the morning." He extended a hand to Ephraim. "Tell me, where do those free signers hang out?"


	18. The Ship and the Rose

**THE SHIP AND THE ROSE**

They're going to the chapel and they're gonna get married...for politics and convenience, but they're gonna get married!

...

 _"_ _Just look at the holo!" Miranda Harkon shoved the holoprojector in front of sixteen-year-old Dalla's face, blocking the ledger she'd been working on. "Look, and tell me you don't see what I see."_

 _Dalla pulled back so she could see the image. It was a news holo of Lux Bonteri talking about his mother's death, struggling to stay strong and not fall apart at the seams. He was doing a pretty good job of it, too. Dalla would know._

 _"_ _I see Lux Bonteri making a speech."_

 _"_ _Salt gods, you're impossible!" Miranda beaned her with a pillow and flopped back onto Dalla's bed. "He's gorgeous. Look at that hair!"_

 _"_ _Aye. It's brown."_

 _"_ _It's chocolate brown. And his eyes. His beautiful, sea-blue eyes. You two would be so cute together."_

 _"_ _Miranda, I don't even know him! Besides I can't marry someone just because he's cute. I have a planet to think of."_

 _She held up a silencing finger. "But you knew Dane and Mina. They were great. Like father, like son…"_

 _Dalla rolled her eyes. "You just liked Mina because she let you watch your musical show for five hours straight."_

 _"_ _Good taste runs in families. Think about it. He's tall, but he's not too tall that he'll make you look like a bait fish next to a chirn. And you like making speeches too. You'd be a power couple. And you'd make such cute babies. He's dreamy."_

 _"_ _And what if don't think he looks dreamy at all?"_

 _"_ _Then call the healer, because you're legally blind."_

...

So, these were the infamous bride jitters.

The last time someone had said those words regarding Dalla it was Sanjay Rash on the steps of the palace, blaming her mortal terror on bride jitters. Now that she was actually experiencing them, she knew how massive a lie it was. Eight years ago she was terrified and wanted to scream, run, and beat Rash to a pulp all at once.

Right now, scant hours before her wedding, Dalla felt like her stomach was opening into a black hole.

Nessa fidgeted behind the pub's counter. "I don't think I'm supposed to do this," she protested and glanced toward the door to the outside and then to her family's apartment. The pub was closed for the afternoon since the Tandins were attending the wedding, but Nessa had been left home to keep her from getting underfoot during the preparations and she was convinced to open up when Lux and Dalla banged on the pub door with their wedding preparations half done and shoved a wad of credits in her face.

"Aye you are," Dalla told her and hazarded a look to the other end of the bar, where Lux was rocking in his seat.

Nessa wasn't convinced. "Maybe I should comm Aunt Shara. She can help with a lot of stuff."

"Don't comm Aunt Shara!" Dalla cried. Just to be safe she fed Nessa another credit chit. "Sorry. I think we need some ale." _Or maybe something stronger for Lux._

Nessa stiffened. "Momma says I'm not allowed to pour alcohol."

Well there went that option. "Um, okay…"

"Caf," Lux broke in. "Do you have leftover caf from this morning, Nessa? Could I bother you for a cup?"

Nessa gave him the side-eye. "When Papa married Momma, she said he wasn't allowed to drink caf in his wedding clothes."

Lux looked down at his shirt and trousers which were indeed part of his wedding clothes. "I'm not," he lied.

"But they look fancy. And Dalla has her hair done…"

"But I don't have my dress." That had, in fact, been the breaking point. Aunt Shara had finished Dalla's hair and then stepped out to get her wedding dress, and while she was gone Dalla felt an overwhelming urge to leave. So she stood up and ran out of the Hold like she was being chased by a chirn just about the same time Lux bolted from his room too and they'd stumbled on each other in the courtyard.

Before Nessa could confirm or deny whether she had caf on hand, the pub's door opened and Tandin rushed in.

"What in salt gods' names are you doing here?" he cried, gesturing to the two of them. "Your wedding is in two hours!"

"We...we uh…" Lux floundered.

"We had to leave!" Dalla blurted. "Aunt Shara left me in my room to get my dress and while she was gone, I-I just had to _go,_ I had to get out, I couldn't stay there any more. And apparently Lux couldn't either because I found him running out of the Hold too."

Lux picked up the story. "It was like my legs didn't belong to me. I don't know why I had to leave but I did. I met up with Dalla and we talked Nessa into letting us in."

Tandin sighed. "Nessa, go find your mother and tell her we've found Lux and Dalla. As for you two …" he pointed to two seats. "Sit. Now."

Nessa practically bolted out of the pub while Lux and Dalla shakily made their way to the indicated seats.

As soon as she was gone Tandin turned back to the prospective bride and groom. "Before we begin I want to make one thing clear." He threw the access codes to his planethopper onto the bar. "If anyone wants out of here, I'll take you. To Iziz, or another island, or wherever you want."

Lux and Dalla stared at the codes and then at each other.

"Any takers? No?"

Silence and Tandin crossed his arms. "Alright, with that out of the way let's start with why you two are here."

"We told you, we don't know." Lux protested before Tandin shot him a silencing look.

"We're going to be honest here," he announced. "Lux, I know that you wish you were meeting someone else at the salt formation and you're worried about that destroying your marriage…"

Lux turned beet red and started to say something but Tandin cut him off.

"And Dalla, I know that you've never loved anyone before and you're scared to death!"

Dalla sputtered uselessly. Where was the lie? It was true, she'd never been in love and she knew Lux was in love with Ahsoka, wherever she was. This was a marriage of convenience. They were doing it for Onderon, not for themselves.

Oh salt gods, this was an awful idea.

"And that's good," Tandin said before she could freak out any more. "It's healthy to be a little nervous on your wedding day. It proves that you understand the magnitude of what you're entering into."

"We're not just nervous, Tandin. We ran from our wedding preparations."

"Yes, you ran from your wedding preparations _together."_ He paused, like he expected them to get it.

Lux and Dalla stared blankly at him and Tandin circled back. "Who do you run away from a wedding with? Your best friend. Where are your best friends?"

"I have no idea," Lux said. "She could be in Wild Space for all I know."

"Dead, dead, and in the wind." Dalla hadn't seen Soniee since she took off from Onderon five years ago and One-Eye and Steela had been gone for eight.

Tandin rubbed his temples. Apparently they'd completely missed the point again.

 _"_ _You,"_ he said. "You are each other's best friends. Don't even try to tell me that if one of you were in trouble you wouldn't call the other for help."

Lux blinked. "...Oh."

"You two are friends," he said. "You're a team. If anyone on this planet can make a marriage work, it's you two. Now if you want to run, I'll take you. If you need me to encourage you and kick you down the aisle, then I'll kick you. If you want me to walk you back to the Hold, I'll do it. But you two are not staying in this pub any longer. So, what do you say?"

Dalla untwisted her hands from her lap and wiped them off on her skirt. "Thank you, Tandin."

"'Thank you, Tandin,' is not an answer, Dalla."

She shared a look with Lux, making sure they were on the same page, and then spoke up again: "I think we're ready to go back to the Hold."

Lux nodded his agreement and Tandin smiled behind his bushy mustache.

"Good choice," he helped both of them to their feet and led the way out of the pub. "Try to enjoy the day. It's your wedding! There's no day quite like it."

…

Lux stood at the base of the salt formation trying to pretend the shaky feeling was from the northern chill. It wasn't. The purple cloak around his shoulders made sure of that, and the feeling only got worse when Dalla appeared at the end of the aisle.

While he waited at the formation he scanned the crowd. Never before had he seen so many northerners and southerners gathered in the same place but with Padme gone and Senator Organa unable to attend the only person here for Lux himself was King Dendup. When their eyes met Dendup gave him a small reassuring nod.

And not a moment too soon. When he looked next Dalla had reached the salt formation with her father.

He took her hands and they faced each other while the minister began the ceremony.

Well at least they'd accomplished one thing: the southerners and the northerners sat together. With the dearth of people there for Lux he and Dalla had decided against having a bride's or groom's side and he thanked himself for that choice. At least he could see the reason they were doing this.

The minister spoke: "You may now cloak the bride and bring her under your protection."

Lux pulled the cloak from his shoulders and draped it over Dalla's, careful not to touch her except through the heavy fabric.

Wasn't protection the reason for this whole event? They had to protect Onderon from the Empire, from those who would destroy it. And they had to protect each other as well.

He didn't hear himself say the words or feel their hands being wrapped up. He didn't hear Dalla either. It was like he was floating outside of his body, watching from afar. He only returned after the minister pronounced them husband and wife, after he must have kissed Dalla, when they turned to face the crowd and every person in attendance bowed.

Southerners bowing for a northern lady and northerners bowing for a southern prince. Lux's heart soared. This was, without a doubt, the greatest accomplishment of his life.

Or, he thought as his head turned and he saw his only friend in the galaxy standing beside him, looking out to the crowd with steely determination.

It could also be his greatest mistake.

…

"Kora!" Kayla elbowed her sister in the ribs to get her attention. "Kora, look over there. That's King Dendup!"

"What?" Kora spared half a glance in Dendup's direction before she went back to staring at Cade in the front row. "Oh. That's nice."

 _That's nice?_ The king of the entire planet was right there! That deserved more than a "nice." Kayla craned her neck to get a better look. He was older than she'd pictured but he watched the bride and groom like they were his beloved grandchildren.

He wasn't the only one. Kayla was fairly sure she'd seen Marlon tear up a bit when he gave Dalla away. But that was to be expected. Her own Papa had done the same when the time came for her to move to the Hold.

Oh, yeah. Papa.

Kayla looked down the row of seats. Papa was scowling.

She suppressed a sigh. She thought he would table his intense dislike of Dalla and Lux for one day so they could celebrate their wedding. She'd even asked and Hugo had said "Of course I won't give them a hard time." Apparently scowling didn't count as giving them a hard time.

She felt herself tearing up and sniffed. Salt gods, was it too much to ask that everyone get along? She didn't even understand what the problem was. Papa was great! Sure he could be rough around the edges and he'd gone pirate back before Kayla was born, but he was a great dad and a good, honorable man. And Kayla had only known Dalla and Lux for a few months, but they were great too. What was the issue here? Why did they despise each other so much?

Emoth squeezed her hand. "Do you need a handkerchief?"

"No." Kayla wiped her eyes and pretended she'd been crying happy tears. She looked back to the main event. Lux was just now wrapping Dalla in his cloak.

"Does it remind you of us?" Emoth whispered.

Kayla smiled, for real this time. "Aye, it does." The bride and groom were saying the words now, their hands being wrapped up in the binding cloth.

After they finished saying the words and the minister pronounced them wed in the light of the salt gods, the couple leaned in to kiss each other and after the proper period of bowing, a cheer erupted through the crowd. Thias and Cade made noise up in the front, Marlon was _definitely_ not crying while he applauded, King Dendup's smile could light up a black hole, and the crew of the _Southern Whore_ drowned out everyone else with a series of cheers for their captain and her landlubber.

"Landlubber?" Kayla repeated.

Emoth shook his head. "If you'd seen Lux after a sea journey, you'd get it."

"Who cares if he's a landlubber?" Kora asked, but she wasn't looking at the couple. "They love each other."

Hugo tapped her shoulder to get her attention and she looked at him.

"It matters," he said, looking her in the eyes. "A worthy woman should marry a worthy man, who respects her and stands on the same ground as her, so they can support each other." It was clear he wasn't talking about Lux and Dalla. "Does that help?"

"Aye, Papa," Kora sighed.

The bride and groom walked up the aisle hand in hand, pausing their conversation. But when they and their immediate family had started toward the feast Hugo made sure no one was looking and then hugged Kora with one arm.

"You're going to be a beautiful bride," he promised. "And the man you marry will respect you, and love you, and be worthy of you."

Kora smiled thinly. He was doing what he thought was best, she knew. "Thank you, Papa."

Kayla thought one or both of them might say more, but then Talia came over with Ephraim corralling their children. "Well, are you coming with us to the reception or not?" she asked.

Hugo's bad mood returned. "How long is this thing going to take?"

"It'll be fun," Ephraim closed ranks with the Bralykburns, Truman on his shoulders. "There'll be music and dancing, and a feast. And of course…" Talia shot him a look but he didn't see it. "...An open bar."

"Thank the salt gods," Hugo grumbled.

Ephraim just then spotted Talia's face and grinned sheepishly while his kids giggled.

"Papa, you need to set a good example for your grandchildren," she ordered. "And if I catch you saying _anything_ to Dalla or Lux besides 'congratulations' or 'I wish you all the best,' then you're cut off for the night."

"You and what army, Talia?"

Talia laid a hand on Maia's and Fiona's heads. "Meet my spies."

…

Papa was behaving himself at the open bar, Kayla was pleased to see. That meant she could fully enjoy the celebrations alongside her husband and her twin, and so far she'd had a great time. They danced with each other, with Emoth's brothers and with Thias, and with Lux. Kayla had tried to get Kora and Cade to dance, but despite her longing stares Kora absolutely put her foot down. She couldn't dance with Cade, not now and not ever.

It broke Kayla's heart. Kora and Cade were meant to be! How could _anyone_ not see it? They couldn't take their eyes off each other, and they lit up when they were in the same room. They were so in love she didn't know how Papa couldn't see it. If he could see it, he wouldn't dream of marrying Kora off to someone else.

Suddenly inspiration struck. If Papa didn't see it yet, then she was going to make him! Kora wouldn't dance with Cade, so that was out. But there was something else, something that she could reasonably rig and ensure that Papa saw what she needed him to see.

Emoth tapped her shoulder. "Kay?"

Kayla smiled. "Aye?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"Oh, the wedding. Isn't it beautiful? Lux and Dalla look so happy." She had to take a minute to actually locate the bride and groom, which luckily wasn't hard. They were up near the head table dancing with their goddaughters.

"Aye they do," Emoth agreed. "Was that all? You were looking at your sister and then at Cade." He raised an eyebrow as if to indicate that if she was cooking up a plan, he was in.

She nodded, accepting his nonverbal offer. "Do you know when they'll toss the net?"

"Sometime soon," he answered. "The crew of the _Southern Whore_ is getting antsy and they've gotten into the ale. If Uncle Marlon doesn't announce the bedding ceremony soon, they might just do it anyway."

Kayla looked. Aye, the crew was whispering to each other and stealing glances at the couple, who were blissfully distracted with dancing. When Marlon announced the ceremony, Dalla and Lux weren't going to know what hit them.

"What if we go and mention that to him? He probably doesn't notice; I know my Papa didn't notice much at our wedding."

That didn't turn out to be necessary. Marlon may have been distracted but Thias wasn't, and it wasn't long before the son whispered something into his father's ear and Marlon looked in the direction of the crew before he stood and clapped his hands for attention.

"All unwed men and women come to the dance floor for the net casting!" he announced and signaled the musicians to play the traditional net casting song.

This was her chance. With a quick nod to Emoth to communicate what he was supposed to do Kayla hurried off the dance floor and over to Kora, who was half-sulking in her seat. "Kora, he said all unmarried people and that's you! Come on!"

"I'm not feeling well," Kora lied. "Besides, you can't go up anyway."

"I don't care; I want to see you have fun." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Emoth and Cade hurrying onto the dance floor. "Please? Just humor me."

Kora reluctantly got to her feet and Kayla took a step to the side and jerked her head toward the target. Kora's eyes brightened. "Actually, I'm feeling a little better now."

Kayla did an internal victory dance while she led her twin to the dance floor, but they'd barely gotten their toes on it when Hugo appeared in front of them. Kriff, he must have noticed from the bar.

"Kora, it's time to go home," he said and Kora's face fell.

Kayla grasped at a straw: "But we're going up for the net just now. It'll only be a minute."

"Then it's a minute we'll get ahead of everyone else."

She tried again. "We've got to say goodbye to Lux and Dalla first. I mean, it is their wedding."

Hugo had to agree with that, but not with the implications. "Aye, I suppose we do. But Kora, stay here with me so I don't spend another hour hunting for you in the crowd."

Kora shrugged at Kayla like she was sorry and took a step toward Hugo when help arrived from an unexpected source.

"Let the young people have their fun, Lord Bralykburn!" King Dendup beseeched, hobbling up to them with his cane. "They're only young and unwed once."

"Your highness," Hugo bowed and the girls curtsied instinctively, though Kayla's was wobbly at best due to her altered center of gravity. "Aye, they are only unwed once, and not much longer for Kora here." He hoped the king would read between the lines and realize why Kora couldn't go to the dance floor and get caught up with that Cade Blackwell.

Dendup did but he still didn't give up. "I see. It's an exciting time for sure, isn't it my lady?"

Kora did her best to smile. "Aye, your Highness, it is."

"Don't want her caught up with the wrong man," Hugo explained further. "I only want the best for her."

"We all want that for our daughters," Dendup agreed. "But if I recall correctly, I'm unmarried as well. Lady Bralykburn, might I have the honor of your escort up to the dance floor to take part in this tradition?" He offered his free arm for Kora to take.

Hugo bit his lip to keep from saying something.

But Kora smiled. "I'd be honored, your Majesty," She said, took his arm, and together they made their way to the crowd of young people congregating on the dance floor.

"Where's that Cade Blackwell?" Hugo zeroed in on Cade's location on the other side of the floor. "If he gets within shooting distance of your sister, it's the last move he'll ever make."

"Papa!" Why couldn't her family and her in-laws just get along?

Hugo shot an apologetic look to Kayla but before he had time to say anything else Lux and Dalla tossed the net. It didn't land on Cade or Kora and Dendup, but on a couple near the center who immediately used it as an excuse to begin kissing. Well-wishers descended on them but not all of them. If anything, the public display of affection reminded the crew of the _Southern Whore_ of their original mission.

Marlon knew it too. He called for attention again and cleared his throat. "I hope you've all had a lovely time tonight, and I trust the revelry will continue. But I believe it's time to say goodnight to our bride and groom…"

The crew of the _Southern Whore_ cheered their agreement. Marlon was probably going to say more but Dalla's crew stopped him. They converged on the bride and groom from all sides like fish in a frenzy. They lifted Lux and Dalla up onto their shoulders and carried them out of the hall, chanting "Bed! Bed! Bed!" and making bawdy suggestions as to how the bride and groom would spend the rest of the evening as they hurtled past.

Hugo and Kayla retreated to Talia's table. Ephraim was busy taking part in the bedding.

Talia shook her head in sympathy. "This is the worst part for any bride and groom."

Wasn't for Kayla and Emoth. They'd held hands and laughed along with the revelers during their bedding. Dalla and Lux were holding their own too, firing back with banter of their own.

Cade was still here, though. But before Kayla could think up another way to bring him and her twin together Kora returned with the king and Hugo wasted no time grabbing her and heading back to the harbor to go home.

…

Far from the revelry, Lux and Dalla stared at each other from across their honeymoon suite.

He broke the silence and tried to defuse the uncomfortable situation. "So, do you want to open presents?"

Dalla looked around the room. "None of our presents are here." That wasn't strictly true. They did have their present from Aunt Shara and Uncle Jamos, which took the form of rose petals sprinkled on the floor and on the bed.

"Oh, right. Well then, do you -?"

"Can we speak honestly now that there's no one here?" She sat down on the foot of the bed.

"Of course." He took a seat next to her. "What's on your mind?"

"Look, Lux, I know I'm not what you wanted."

"Is this about Ahsoka? I - yes, I love her, but I haven't been able to find her since the Purge. We both know the odds." He took a second to compose himself. "I'm never going to forget her. But I promised I would be faithful to you and I'm going to keep that promise."

"It's not about Ahsoka. I know you love her, and I get it. It's about - look." Dalla stood up again and paced the room. "Tandin was right. I've never been in love. I have no idea what to do, tonight, or a year from now, or when we're old and senile. And that scares the living Dxun out of me because you're my person."

She swallowed hard and took a second to collect herself before continuing: "You are the person I would call to help me hide a body. You're my best friend, and I don't want to screw it up by getting married and trying to be something you don't want."

Lux looked at his feet to digest that. Then he spoke. "When I moved to Coruscant, Soniee dropped a vase on my head and I had to go to the medcenter."

Dalla didn't know exactly where he was going with that, but Lux was always going somewhere. "Okay."

"When I was filling out the admission papers, I had to put down an emergency contact person in case something happened and I couldn't make medical decisions for myself. I thought about it for a second, and then I wrote your name down. I could have picked Padme, or Ahsoka, or King Dendup, but I picked you because I knew that you'd know when to let me go peacefully and when to yell at the medical droids to save me, but mostly because I knew you would always be there if I needed you."

She raised an eyebrow. "You made me your medical power of attorney?"

"I wouldn't say 'power of attorney.'" He grinned. "I'd say 'person.'"

"You smooth…" She smiled a little and shook her head. "When did you plan on telling me this? Or were you going to leave it up to the medcenter?"

"My point is," he continued. "You're my person too. You were the first person I told about being heir to the throne, and you're the one I trust to decide whether or not to turn off my life support if I get hit by a repulsor-truck tomorrow. I don't want to mess this up either."

Dalla smirked and sat back down on the bed. "Are you only saying that because I hold your life support in my hands?"

"Would you pull the plug if I said yes?"

She burst out laughing. "Well, I'd say we haven't wrecked it yet."

"I think we're going to make it," Lux nodded. "I'll keep you laughing and help you hide the bodies,"

"I'll make the doctors keep you alive unless you're brain dead."

"I'll get meds so I can survive fishing voyages,"

"I'll try to cook you homemade dinners even though I'm a terrible cook."

"I will eat your terrible food and tell you it's delicious."

"And I will help you roast your enemies from the Senate and take pleasure in it." She offered her hand. "Deal?"

"Deal." They shook. "That almost means more than 'I am hers and she is mine.'"

"I like these better. Maybe we should change them officially."

"Maybe we will, later."

"And until then," Dalla swallowed hard and steeled herself. "What do you say to sealing this union?"

"Are you sure?" He looked near as nervous as she was. "We don't have to. We could watch a holo, or -."

"No," she gently cut him off and placed her hand over his own. "I'm sure."

Lux's worried expression broke into a sincere grin. "In that case, so am I."


	19. Sweet Rose

**SWEET ROSE**

So the honeymoon's over and now Lux is back in the north, ready to begin a new political adventure and meet up with some old friends.

Oh, and he also has a wife. That's a thing.

...

Why did he think he could set this up all by himself? Lux checked the cloaking program on the comm unit for the tenth time at least. His tech skills had much to be desired and the program had to work or he'd put the entire planet in grave danger. Too bad the most technically-savvy person he knew was the very person whose comms had to be cloaked.

Bail Organa insisted upon the strictest security for Fulcrum transmissions. There were only a few such agents in the galaxy and to have one of their identities leaked would be disastrous for not only them, but for the person contacting them, their entire family, and the rebellion at large. Lux couldn't risk any of that, knowing this agent personally and no longer being alone in the galaxy.

"What are you doing?" Dalla asked from the other side of their bedroom. She seemed a little overdressed for the day, but what business was that of his?

"Setting up comm channels. I have a feeling it's going to be an all-day project."

"Oh." She dithered over her clothing a minute longer. "So, next week the minister is holding a service to bless the married couples."

"Really? That's nice he does that." He went back to the comm.

"Aye, it is." He didn't catch the disappointment in her eyes. "So you're going to work on those all day?"

"That's what it looks like. How about you?"

"There are services in the morning and then I have a few things to take care of on the docks."

"Alright. Well, I'll see you for lunch."

"See you then."

The next time he looked up from his work the Hold was dead silent. Looked like all the Blackwells had gone to services. It was almost creepy being in the enormous castle alone, without seven other voices and presences.

It was strange how quickly he'd become used to living with other people. He'd been by himself since his mother's death and mere months after moving into the Hold it felt empty without the Blackwells. He had to keep telling himself they'd be back in an hour or so when the service ended.

It would be best to test the connection while they were all out and eliminate the risk of Lana holobombing and giving away his location if things went awry. With fingers crossed he made his way to the comm room and plugged his device into the holotable.

 _"_ _If it isn't_ _the newlywed back from his honeymoon!"_ Bail Organa grinned and held out his arms like he could hug Lux through the hologram. _"Congratulations! I wish I could have made it to your wedding."_

"Thank you, Senator Organa." Lux beamed. "I wish you could have been there too, but we all have obligations. How are Queen Organa and Leia?"

 _"_ _They're very well. Leia sent you a card but it may not have arrived to Blackhold yet."_

"It has. Dalla thought it was adorable." And it was. Who couldn't love a six-year-old's drawing of a stick figure bride and groom? "Will you thank her for us?"

 _"_ _Of course."_ Organa looked down to his holotable, returning to business. _"Your scramblers look fine and the signal's cloaked appropriately. Are you ready for me to patch you through?"_

"As long as you are. Good to see you, Senator Organa."

The connection fizzled out as another fuzzed to life, revealing the cloaked figure and voice modulation which had become the hallmarks of Fulcrum all over the galaxy.

 _"_ _So?"_ The hidden figure asked, _"How do I look?"_

"Like Vader's more fashionable cousin."

The figure laughed. _"Is it safe to change my outfit?"_

"Our mutual friend gave the security his stamp of approval." He turned on the diagnostic program. "What does it look like on your end?"

She bent over what must have been her own comm table. _"About as secure as it can be."_

"And the same over here," he shook off the formalities. "Alright, it's safe to change your outfit."

The hologram flickered and when it did Soniee Ordo's image filled the field. She grinned broadly as his own likeness must have materialized on her device.

 _"_ _Why, marriage hasn't changed you a bit."_

"What did you expect, gray hairs and wrinkles?" he teased. "No, the only thing that's changed for me is my new ring. Not all of us marry the gray-hair-giving type."

 _"_ _You're one of the fools who did. Congratulations, Lux!"_

"Thank you. I'll tell Dalla you said so."

 _"_ _Where is she?"_

"At the docks. Or maybe she's still at services. She said they were having something kind of ceremony to bless the married couples so it might have taken longer."

 _"_ _She told you that, about a ceremony to bless the married couples?"_ He nodded. _"And you didn't go with her?"_

"No." Why was that even a question? He didn't believe in the salt gods. "Why would I go to their services?"

Soniee sighed. _"Lux, you're one of the smartest people I know. But when you have a stupid moment, it's very stupid."_

"What did I do?"

 _"_ _When your wife tells you about something for married couples, it means she wants you to go with her."_

Rare was the time Lux looked truly dumbfounded, but look dumbfounded he did. "It does?"

Soniee couldn't blame him for his ignorance. He was newly married after all; it was understandable he hadn't yet learned to speak Spouse.

"But why would she want me there?" Lux sputtered. "I'm not religious. Is she trying to convert me?"

Soniee shook her head. _"I doubt it. It's probably more about the family component. If the whole family attends services together, then it makes sense she would want you there too."_

That actually made a lot of sense. "What do I do?"

 _"_ _What you and Dalla do best. Talk to each other."_

…

Talk to each other. If only Soniee knew just how terrifying that idea was.

It shouldn't have been. He and Dalla were best friends. They talked all the time, or at least they had before they got married. Something had changed after the wedding and the night they'd shared a bed for the first time. Things had grown awkward, so much so that they'd barely talked on their honeymoon. Not like he had any regrets about how they'd spent it. Why couldn't it still be like those two weeks on their honeymoon when they hardly left their bed?

Lux was exhausted. He'd been setting up the Fulcrum comms, vetting bills, and trying not to mentally dissect every post-wedding conversation he and Dalla had to decode the hidden meanings. It was time to turn in and give in to his favorite guilty pleasure medical drama. _Black's Anatomy,_ the ultimate in mindless HoloNet entertainment where he could vegetate and not think about anything _._

No sooner had the opening credits started rolling than Dalla entered their wing, balancing datapads in her arms and talking without taking her eyes from them.

"I don't know what the Flints expect to pull off with the remainder of the fishing season, but it would have to be a bona fide miracle to match the numbers they just gave me." She scoffed. "Honestly, do they think I don't know basic math? I'd have to be stupid to fall for this."

"Mmmhmm." Lux didn't look from his show.

"I don't know whether to comm them demanding answers or just send them a corrected report and let them draw their own conclusions. What do you think?"

"Mmmhmm."

Dalla looked up from her 'pad. "Is that _Black's Anatomy?"_

"Yes, it is."

"You actually watch this show?"

"I do."

Dalla plopped on the couch. "I never had you pegged as one for a chick show."

"It's a good show." Was he giving off enough of a sense of _I want to de-stress with my show?_

Apparently not. Dalla opened something else on the 'pad and changed the subject. "I'll probably just send a corrected report. I haven't gotten a chance to look over any of the stuff Dendup sent you; do you want to go over it now?"

"Dalla, I - can we talk about this a little later?" He gestured vaguely to the datapad. "It's been a day and I need some time to keep my nerves from frying."

She got up from the couch, gathering her things. "Aye. Of course. By the way, what else needs to be done with the Fulcrum comms?" Lux fought back a headache and she must have seen his wince. "Right. Sorry."

Lux sunk into the couch cushions and closed his eyes. She'd always picked up when he was tired before, why didn't she get it now? He'd given her plenty of silent cues: the slouching, the fixing of eyes on the holoscreen, just like … _oh no._

His headache intensified with the realization.

 _I just spoke Husband._

This didn't make any sense. It wasn't like he loved Dalla any more than as best friends. Why were they all of the sudden acting so strangely toward each other?

He stared at the holoscreen without really watching the show until the commercial break when he heard his wife's voice once again. "Is now a better time?"

He turned around. Dalla stood behind the couch, holding a bowl of popcorn, and he raised a questioning eyebrow.

"This is your relaxation time. I get it." She looked into the popcorn bowl. "I'd like to watch your show with you, if that's okay."

"That...that's fine." He moved over on the couch and she took a seat, placing the popcorn bowl between them. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She popped a piece into your mouth. "It's the duty of the best friend to make fun of her best friend's shows. And the duty of the wife to make sure your brain doesn't run out your ears."

He couldn't stifle a smile catching a whiff of the bowl. "What about poisoning me with your burned popcorn?"

"It's not burned it's just … crispy."

 _"_ _Sure_ it isn't."

She threw a piece at him in mock anger and settled back into the couch.

"I'm sorry for stressing you out. This was a marathon day for you, and I didn't realize. I at least had a break to go to services and you didn't."

"Right, services. That's what I wanted to talk to you about." Lux took a deep breath. "I know things have changed between us since the wedding. I don't think either of us intended for them to…"

"But they did. And I don't know how to get them to go back."

"I don't think they can go back."

"My thoughts exactly." She nodded gravely. "Salt gods, this is what I knew would happen. You can't get married and still be just best friends."

"We're not just best friends anymore. We're family, and I don't want my family to have to go up alone to get the blessing for the married couples."

Dalla turned in her seat. "You would go to services with me?"

"You're my wife. Of course I will."

Her expression warmed the room and for a second Lux could almost pretend they were back in their honeymoon suite.

"Thank you," she said.

...Was he supposed to do something? Did she want him to kiss her? Did she want to kiss him? They hadn't kissed since their wedding, well unless they were doing something else.

Instead they stared at each other until, thankfully, the commercial break ended.

"Show's back on," Lux spun back around and let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank gods," Dalla muttered under her breath. "That got weird."

"Let's never do that again?"

"Agreed."


	20. Sanjay's Secret

**SANJAY'S SECRET**

"Hold on a second," you, the reader, say. _"Sanjay?_ Why do we have a chapter about that guy? Isn't he super dead?"

Well yes dear reader, he is. But that doesn't mean he couldn't have left behind one Dxun of a secret.

What could it be? If you want to find out, you're going to have to do the time warp with us again!

...

Ommin Rash had heard the stories of his family's condition. His father had told him before he died, about the prophets Mordecai and Melia and the others with the strange powers. He never thought it would manifest in his own son.

Moments after Sanjay Iago Rash was born the droid pricked the bottom of his tiny foot for a blood sample, which Ommin and Sanda barely noticed. They were too busy marveling over their beautiful boy. They did however notice when the machine alarmed with the results and the droid announced that according to its tests, Sanjay was eligible for enrollment into the Jedi Temple.

Ommin demanded it repeat the test and the droid did. But the results were unchanged. "I will notify Coruscant immediately. Surely they'll want to examine him as soon as…"

Then Ommin switched the thing off and wiped its memory core for all he was worth.

For the first few years he held onto hope that the test didn't mean anything. Hundreds washed out of the Jedi Temple and into their service corps; it was entirely possible Sanjay could live as a normal little boy.

That delusion shattered the day Melaana stuck her finger in an electrical socket and Sanjay screamed a warning from the other side of the house.

Once he and Sanda were no longer worried about their daughter getting electrocuted he pulled Sanjay aside and asked how he knew Melaana was in trouble.

"I don't know," he replied and went back to his coloring. "I just did."

And so cemented Ommin's worst fear. He and Sanda had never told Sanjay of his midichlorian test results and never would, but now they had to take more precautions. Luckily he'd never liked sports, and he was a fairly good student but nothing which would draw attention. The only thing about him which really stood out was his art. Ommin had never seen a six-year-old actually color inside the lines. And when he progressed from coloring to freehand drawing it was truly something to behold. Sanjay's creations were lifelike even from the beginning.

This must have been how the force or whatever it was flowed through him. Well if that was it then Ommin was greatly relieved. Art couldn't hurt anyone. Sanjay's peculiarities would bring only joy to the galaxy.

Once again the family fell into a cautious routine. Sanjay's outbursts grew rare, and he got too old for the Jedi to care about taking him to their temple. He was going to be okay. He was going to be normal.

…

Sanjay didn't know why he could make people do things, or how he did it. His father said he was very persuasive and that he needed to use his talents wisely but it seemed different. Mother was very persuasive, but she couldn't get Melaana to parrot back whatever she'd said word for word and run off to do her bidding. That had been a fun trick when they were children.

Nor did Mother and Father know exactly how Melaana was feeling like he did. Mel was an expert at hiding her true emotions around them. It seemed Sanjay alone knew when she needed someone to talk to about her husband or the baby on the way.

Oh, Sanjay was so excited about the baby. He'd already made a list of all the gifts he was going to get for his niece or nephew. Shara joked Mel and Brem wouldn't be able to find the baby in the midst of all the dolls and stuffed animals.

"I can't help it!" He protested and added an adorable baby shirt that said _I love my uncle_ to his virtual cart. "It's my duty as an uncle to spoil the child."

"You know he or she will be more interested in the wrapping paper than the actual gift?"

He shrugged. "When we have one of our own Mel will do the same for us."

"In that case, they definitely need a stuffed dalgo," Shara grabbed the datapad to start her own search.

Sanjay sat back content to watch her when the feeling blitzed him. It was like the feeling he got when Melaana was in trouble but different, new. Could it be…?

"Shara? Has Melaana or Bremon commed the house recently?"

"Not that I know. Why do you ask?"

He couldn't explain the feeling. "She usually comms or visits about this time."

Shara read his mind. "You want to be sure she isn't at the medcenter having the baby. Sanjay, we'll be the first people Mel comms when she goes into labor."

"I suppose," he relented though he wasn't convinced, and stood up to check the house unit for himself. "She's probably off flying -."

The pain broke over him like a tidal wave and knocked him to the floor.

"Sanjay!" Shara jumped off the sofa and looked him over. "What's wrong? What hurts?"

"Melaana!" He gasped. "Shara, comm Melaana. Something's gone wrong." He'd never been more certain of anything in his life - somewhere, somehow, something terrible had happened to his sister.

"Melaana?" Shara asked incredulous. "Sanjay you need to see a doctor."

"I'm fine." He gritted his teeth against the agony and pushed himself up. "Go comm Mel. Please!"

Shara ran off and Sanjay used the sofa to pull himself upright. He wouldn't do Mel any good lying on the floor and if his baby sister ever needed his help it was now.

Shara returned out of breath. "No one can get ahold of Melaana but Bremon's been admitted to the medcenter. Naidon beat him half to death. He told Mel to get in her ship and fly away so they'd be safe."

"Take me there." Bremon would have more information, and then Sanjay could figure out what he had to do to help Melaana...if there was anything he could do. It felt like something had snapped and disappeared forever. He could only hope it wasn't his sister's life.

…

The Blackwell birth announcement came like a slap in the face.

Mel and her baby were gone. There was still nothing to show for his and Shara's attempts. And here Marlon and Lana Blackwell were parading their child all over the HoloNet for the planet to see. An heir for House Blackwell while House Rash went extinct.

Sanjay didn't know why he kept watching it. To torture himself? That was what it felt like.

He slumped in his seat watching the happy little family. That should be him and Shara grinning, holding their bundle of joy. It should be Melaana and Bremon.

He was about to turn the channel to watch something, anything else when Lana Blackwell changed positions and the baby's face came into view of the camera.

The feeling came back for the first time since Melaana's death. He tried to push it away - had it ever done him a bit of good? - but it stubbornly remained.

 _There was pain, terrible pain in his chest. And a girl's voice singing in the old language, soft and sweet but not like Shara._

 _She spoke: "I'm not Shara."_

 _He knew she wasn't. Who was she?_

He'd have thought longer but just then Shara entered the room and Sanjay hurriedly switched off the holoscreen so she wouldn't see what he was watching. The story would only make her sad.

"Where have you been?" How could she leave him to be tormented by this broadcast and the dreams?

She blinked. "I was just visiting Brem. He's lost everything. I didn't think he needed to be alone. Edda's with him now."

Why was she paying so much attention to him? "I lost my sister and my niece!"

He didn't bother speculating that the baby could have been a boy. He knew Mel was supposed to have a little girl, just like the Blackwells' little girl and the girl who sang to him. Was it his niece in the dream? No, it couldn't be. His niece wouldn't have a northern accent.

"I don't like you spending so much time with him. You should be here with me. No wonder we don't have a child yet with you always off somewhere…" he gritted his teeth. "With him."

Shara caught the tension. "What do you mean, 'with him'?"

He looked her steadily in the eye. "You will come to bed with me?" He phrased it as a question but it wasn't a question.

She blinked. "I will come to bed with you." The words were flat and resigned with none of the passion and desire he would have liked.

Sanjay stood and took her hand, leading his wife toward their bedroom. He didn't want it to be like this. He released her from that strange persuasion that had been his talent for as long as he could remember and instead tried his best to arouse the lust in her more naturally. But her mind was on other things and as invariably occurred, his own arousal and impatience took over.

He must have fallen asleep because the voice came to him again in his dreams, " _I'm not Shara_." and along with it the pain in his chest. But that was not what woke him.

His wife was lying beside him, trembling with a quiet sobbing.

"Shara?"

She froze, "I didn't mean to wake you."

He laid what he hoped was a comforting hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

She rolled over and looked at him almost guiltily. "I just can't stop thinking about it. I mean we've tried and tried and been unsuccessful. but to actually conceive a child, to know it's healthy and growing and feel it moving around." She dropped her gaze from his. "I can't imagine what he's going through."

 _He_? The word sent a spike of hot anger through him. She was lying here in bed with her husband thinking about another man!

Sanjay tilted her face as gently as he could. He was fully aware that he could have hurt her in the jealous rage that was building up inside him. Instead he swallowed hard and looked deeply into her blue eyes. "You will not go and see him today."

"I will not go and see him today." She parroted emotionlessly.

"You will stay here with me."

"I will stay here with you."

After a couple of days of having her glued to his side like an unfailingly obedient droid, he knew he couldn't live that way. Besides it didn't make the dreams go away.

He allowed her to return to her regular schedule of tending her garden and visiting friends. It wouldn't have bothered him so much if it wasn't Bremon Kira that she spent the most time with.

Sanjay wanted her to come to him of her own free will. Surely she would. It was getting near time that she should be fertile again. They would have known for sure if Melaana hadn't taken that midwife droid along with her when she…

Really Sanjay just wished that Shara would show him any reaction at all, be it joy or anger or fear. He never regretted anything more in his life than what he did next. And in the morning Shara was gone from him forever.

He heard the voice many times, though only in his dreams and only accompanied by the crushing pain. It wasn't for seventeen years, when he was on the comm with Marlon Blackwell and Dalla rushed in calling for her father that he was able to identify the speaker.

...

So this was death. Well it must be, the pain in his chest was gone. He knew he should be on a one way express tram to Dxun or Haran or the seven Corellian hells, after the life he had lived. After all the people he had hurt it was all he deserved. And yet he didn't seem to be going anywhere. Was this part of his punishment, the dread of the unknown?

There wasn't nothing. He could still hear Dalla's voice, singing the same song she'd sung in his dreams. The same song which had played in his head when he did those horrible things to Shara. Maybe this was his torment, to stew forever reminded of the women he'd hurt most.

 _Won't you ride the wind and go, white seabird?_

He wished he could but where was he to go? This place, if it even was a place, was total darkness. Sanjay had a feeling he could walk forever and never find the end of the darkness so he didn't try. Sometimes he sang the song for something to do. Mostly he listened.

He didn't know when his surroundings began to lighten or when the song began to change. Suddenly it was Shara! And the song, it was the song she had sung to him on their wedding night! She was singing the words in the old language just like she had done then but now, maybe it was a side effect of his death or this place… but he understood them.

 _"_ _The child learns his father's way._

 _He seeks his guidance through the day._

 _And from his path he'd never stray._

 _The child loves his father."_

A strangled cry of grief and self loathing gurgled from his throat. No wonder she had never wanted to sing it to him again. No wonder her sweet boy had been appalled when Sanjay had merely mentioned the title. No child had ever loved him. All the gods in the Galaxy forbid that any child should follow in his ways!

And yet the song, her voice, was so achingly beautiful. Yes, there was pain again, but not from the mortal wound in his chest. While he was listening to the song his surroundings had become a brilliant, blinding white.

He covered his eyes to shield them from the glare of it but his arms gave little relief. The song ended and there were voices speaking softly. They were familiar and he tried to make out the words.

"Shara?" He called but he knew she couldn't hear him.

There was another female voice.

"Dalla!"

And… the male voice with them… "General?"

Sanjay could make out his own name but not much else. It couldn't have been anything good from those three. They had all hated him. But no, he had asked for forgiveness! He had told them he was sorry for all those things he had done!

He heard a splash and then he sensed it. There was water all around him. No. He wasn't in the water. He was… on the deck of a ship?

He squinted around but everything was still so painfully white.

"Well now, what have we here?" This new voice was clearer very close but it had an eerie echo about it as if it were bouncing off the surf. "Never expected to see the likes of your sorry shebs aboard the _Bloody Galia_."

 _Bloody Galia_? The name rang a bell, something from his childhood, a game Mel had liked to play? "I-I'm sorry?" he stuttered still trying to get a good look at who had spoken.

The red-haired woman materialized before him from the mist and it was a relief to have an image to focus on. Not so much, however to see the array of weapons she was carrying.

"Where am I?" He asked her, just the first of many questions he had for the first person he had come across in this place.

"I just told you." She took a bold step forward and he retreated. He thought he heard a snicker of a laugh from somewhere nearby. The woman acknowledged it with a smirk and then continued, "You're on my ship."

Her...ship? The truth hit him with the faint memory of reading Mel's favorite storybook aloud. "The _Bloody Galia,_ the ghost ship that ferries the dead to their final destination? That means you're Sanya Harkon, from Mel's book!"

"Aye, the very one." She started away from him. "Hope you didn't mind the wait. I had more important souls to take care of first."

"Like my cousin?" He rushed after her unwilling to let her go. "I know I don't deserve any reward but do you take people to…" _what did Dalla call it?_ "The salt gods' halls? Did Miranda Harkon get there safely? And Melaana and her child! You brought them to their reward, didn't you?"

She looked at him strangely. "You don't know? You didn't sense her?"

"Her?"

"Your niece is alive. I thought surely with your similar powers and the family connection you would have known."

"My niece is…" And then the image of the little girl jumped into his mind. He'd seen her before! He'd dreamed of her as long as he'd dreamed of Dalla's song. She looked just like Mel, but her eyes were all wrong and she could do things no normal child was able to do. She could move objects with her mind, and sense others' thoughts and feelings. And she could persuade people just like he did...

"Wait," he shook his head. "Similar powers? You're not implying that I could do something like that?" Even as he spoke he knew the answer.

"Let me at him!" A furious female voice snapped him from his shock while a dark-skinned young woman stormed toward him and the ghostly captain. "He's the reason I'm here!"

"Get in line, Steela!" Another redhead raged. "He killed my baby sister. I might not be able to kill him now but I sure as Dxun can make him suffer in the afterlife!"

Sanjay recognized both of them - the leader of the rebellion and Miranda Harkon's older sister. He didn't have to ask what had happened to cause their premature deaths and the guilt ate him badly as if he'd held the blade himself.

"I-I'm sorry."

"Your droids frakking killed me!" Steela spat. "Sorry doesn't cut it."

"How are you even here anyway?" Elinor swiveled her gaze to Sanya. "How is he here? Shouldn't he be heading to the fires of Dxun?"

Sanya didn't blink in the face of her rage: "Shara and Dalla."

Steela's jaw dropped. "I'm sorry, did someone just say _Dalla_ is part of the reason he's here?"

Sanjay opened his mouth to explain but no words came out. How could he explain to this young woman, furious at him and at fate, just how much Dalla's actions meant to him?

Instead he watched as Steela screamed something without words to the - well, it wasn't the sky - and then let loose with a barrage of curses in old Onderonian which drew pause from even the hardened sailors on board. "Seriously, Dalla? Him?! _Seriously?"_

Elinor didn't waste time cursing Dalla or Shara. In an instant the cold steel of her knife was at Sanjay's throat.

"I wanted to do this with Sloan," she hissed. "But I'll settle for doing it myself."

"Go ahead," he slumped. "I deserve it."

He braced himself for the pain but Sanya's voice sliced through the air like one of her famous blades: "Fists only. And only until we get to the halls."

She didn't have to tell Ellie twice. Like lightning she sheathed her knife and came down on him with a flurry of blows.

It hurt, especially when Steela joined in his punishment, but Sanjay took it. He deserved all of it and worse.

It could have been seconds or years later Sanya called off her crew and stood over him while he shook off the pain and got to his feet.

"So this is Dxun then?" He'd never been more scared, but he resolved to remain calm. He would would go to his punishment stoically, with dignity. He wouldn't give the universe another reason to label him a sniveling fool.

Sanya wordlessly stepped aside and gestured down the gangplank. The gates there didn't look like Dxun. They were white and opened a crack to admit another ghostly figure onto the gravelly beach. A figure with wild untamed hair and the brightest smile in the galaxy.

"Melaana?" He whispered.

Ellie's jaw dropped. "You're not seriously going to let him in there?"

"No," Sanya scoffed. "But he has a job to do just like you do."

The redhead glared. "I only joined your crew and didn't see my baby because I thought Sloan would be here. You didn't tell me he was off promising to look out for Dalla."

Sanjay sprinted down the gangplank, completely ignoring the exchange. _"Melaana!"_

"Sani!" His sister threw her arms open and clobbered him in a hug. "You made it."

"I missed you!" Tears threatened to run down his face and he sniffed them back. "And your daughter...how is she? Is she getting along alright?"

Melaana pulled back. "You never found her? You never brought her home to Brem?"

"No, we were told she died in the crash with you. I swear I had no idea! I would have helped her if I could. I would have brought her home."

"You can see it now though can't you, the trouble she has to face?" Mel wrung her hands, frantic. "Sani, she needs her family."

"But what can I do now?" He gestured wildly. "I'm dead!"

"She has the power, same as you. You know that. you've felt it."

"I ... have," He admitted.

Melaana reached out and took his hands. "Then you'll help her."

"I don't know how."

"You'll know." She released his hands. "When the time is right I know you'll do the right thing and maybe you'll be able to make it up to someone else as well."

"Why can't you tell me now?" Sanjay lunged forward and grabbed her again. "We have all the time in the world."

"No, we don't."

"What do you mean? We're dead." He blinked. Was he going crazy, or was Mel starting to fade away?

"You have work to do first." Melaana stepped backward, fading away as she retreated through the gates of the salt gods' halls. "I'll see you soon, Sani."

"Melaana, wait!"

The gates clicked shut and Sanjay stood on the empty gravel beach for a long time. He knew what he had to do now, even if it scared him witless.

With one last look at the gates Sanjay turned back to the ghost ship and walked up the gangplank.

Sanya met him when he stepped oonto the deck. "So you need a lift."

Sanjay stared her straight on. "I need to find my niece."

Sanya grinned. "I've been keeping an eye on that one. She was named after me you know."


	21. Bundle of Joy

**BUNDLE OF JOY**

Back to the present. We've got several newly married couples, a baby on the way, and it's salt and light! So the entire Blackwell clan has gathered together to celebrate the feast of the salt gods and the new year.

...

Were these all for her? Kayla stared wide-eyed at the pile of salt and light presents with her name on them at her feet. There were easily more for her and Emoth than there were for anyone else. And after all the wonderful gifts she'd gotten for her baby shower, too! This was really too much, she felt like she was going to cry. Perhaps that was the hormones, but she didn't care.

Emoth looked at her giddily. "Which one do you want to open first?"

Jamos snorted. "Mine, of course."

"Why didn't we think of that?" Kayla reached down to fish Jamos' haphazardly-wrapped package from the pile and set it on her big belly. She ripped apart the flimsi and pulled out a … onesie? _I didn't think Jamos would buy such things._

Emoth glanced over to his dad. "Thanks, dad."

"Unfold it," Jamos urged.

Kayla did and instantly she knew why Jamos had picked this particular gift. "'Grandpa's fishing buddy.' Oh, that's so cute!"

"Do mine next!" Shara begged and Emoth grabbed the gift in question from the pile and undid the ribbon to open the box.

Kayla leaned over to see the contents. "'Nana's snuggle bug'? And 'Future dalgos rider'?"

"Do you like it?"

"Of course we do!" Emoth held the two onesies side-by-side. "Our son's going to be well-dressed, that's for sure."

From their positions next to their husbands, Cybele and Rayala shared a knowing look. Kayla, being a sister herself, knew exactly what that meant.

Emoth caught it too. "Guys…?"

Kason sighed. "Show of hands, who got Kayla and Emoth a onesie?"

Every hand in the room went up except for Cornel's and Lana's.

Cornel shrugged. "Made a mobile."

"And I got my nephew a stuffed brylk," Lana replied.

Emoth and Kayla unwrapped those two gifts, and after oohing and ahhing over the intricate detail on the little wooden ships Cornel had carved for the baby's mobile and declaring that Lana's stuffed brylk was the softest they'd ever felt, Kayla reached for another present. This one was from Marlon, and it was designed to look like a present with a gift tag reading _joy._ "A bundle of joy?"

Marlon nodded. "I was hoping you'd get it."

They powered through Lux and Dalla's onesies, which were simply printed with pictures of a brylk and a fambaa, and then got to Kason's. That one read: "I have the best uncle ever."

Arkon slapped his knee when he saw it. "Aww, Kase! That's the same one I bought!"

Kayla smoothed over the banter before it could start. "Then we'll have a spare for when one gets dirty."

Arkon brightened. "Yeah, I guess so!"

The gift-giving circle had broken down and on the other side of the room the others were tearing into their presents. Cornel examined his new carving tools, Shara kissed Jamos as a thanks, and Dalla rubbed the silk dress Lux had gotten her against her cheek.

Marlon looked up from fishing through the pile. "Dalla, I can't find your present for Lux anywhere. I thought you asked to borrow my wrapping paper for it."

"Oh don't worry about that, Father. It's in our room." She grinned at her husband and Lux's eyebrows shot up. Kayla spotted Cade rolling his eyes at his sister.

"Here, let's open Cade's present," Kayla suggested and grabbed the package.

That got the other half of Double Trouble's attention. "Oh, you're gonna love it! It's so funny."

Emoth opened the package, afraid something might jump out of it at his poor pregnant wife, but it was only another onesie. The sleeves and leg holes were conveniently labeled "Arm, arm, leg, leg." with the message in the middle, "You can do this Dad."

"Thanks. I think I could have figured that out." Emoth snarked at his cousin.

But Kayla had noticed something else in the package. She lifted out the second onesie and her eyes stuck out like stalks as soon as she read the front. "'Nine months ago, my mommy and daddy read _Twenty-Five Shades of Red?'"_ Dxun, she should have known this was going to be crude the second she saw Cade's grin!

Emoth was scandalized too. "Cade!"

"What? It's funny!"

"No, it's not." Shara reached over and plucked the onesie from Kayla's shocked hands. "You are not putting _that_ on my grandson."

Cade's grin only grew wickeder. "But Aunt Shara!"

"Cade Alon Blackwell, what have I said about appropriate salt and light gifts?" Marlon groaned.

"It's no use, Father," Thias said. "You'll just egg him on."

"Thank you for the thought," Emoth said, with a look at Cade, who gave him a thumbs-up in return.

Kayla changed the subject. "Our baby's going to be well-dressed, and he'll love Cornel's mobile and Lana's brylk. Thank you all so much!"

"Of course, dear." Shara folded up the offensive onesie and smiled at Kayla. "And I'm so glad that you're here to celebrate with us this year. You're a wonderful addition to the family, and we can't wait for the new arrival either!"

"Oh thank you Shara." Kayla sniffed and reached for her husband's hand. "You've all been so wonderful to me - I can't imagine any better in-laws." _Oh, if only Kora was here with us this would be perfect! It can still happen, can't it? It has to!_

…

Lux watched from the side of the bed while Dalla hung her new dress up in the closet.

"Do you like it?" He asked. "Did I get the right size?" He'd had to peek at the size tag for her wedding dress, and still he wasn't sure if the size was right. Dalla, formidable as she could be, was short.

"It fits, and it's beautiful." It was. Lux had gotten the dress from Coruscant, a shimmering silver which looked like steely blue in the right light. It would be perfect for the next formal event she attended. That is, if it still fit. She had no idea what she'd look like then…

"I saw it and I knew you had to have it," Lux purred. "So, are you going to give me a fashion show?"

Dalla turned away from the closet, her hand still lingering on the dress. "Don't you want your present?"

"I thought tearing that dress off you would be a nice prelude to my present."

"If you rip my pretty silk dress, I'll kill you myself." She pushed her clothes aside and grabbed a wrapped box. "And what's more, you have the wrong kind of present in mind."

Lux accepted it and untied the ribbon. "I would be disappointed if we couldn't make up for it later."

"That's a perk of marriage." Without the dress or the box to keep them busy Dalla's hands were starting to shake, so she hid them behind her back and hoped Lux didn't notice.

He didn't. He was too busy staring confused at the contents of the box: a plain white onesie and a pair of baby booties.

"I think you put these in the wrong box."

"No, I didn't. Think about it."

Lux stared at the onesie, picked it up, stared at it some more, and then dropped it in shock. "No way."

She nodded. "Aye, way." Dalla squeezed her hands behind her back. Was he happy about this? He didn't look like Uncle Jamos when Aunt Shara told him she was pregnant.

"H-How?"

"What do you mean, how?" Her jaw dropped. "Have you forgotten what we did while we were hiding from those tabloid reporters?"

"No," Lux sputtered. "I just didn't think it'd happen so _fast."_ He rested his head in his hands and rubbed his temples. "Gods, I'm going to be a father?"

Dalla sat down next to him and placed a hand on her belly. "Aye, you're going to be a father."

He sat up straighter and looked over at her, then laid his hand over hers.

"So, you definitely blew my salt and light gift out of the water," he laughed. "A baby. We're going to have a baby!"

"That we are." She scrutinized his face to see if his reaction was one of joy or mere hysteria. _Please Lux, please be happy._

He laughed again and kissed her.

"You're happy?" She asked when they separated. "I was happy too when I found out but now I'm just terrified."

"I'm terrified too but we'll deal with that later." Lux knelt to bring her belly to eye level. "Hello, baby."

Dalla finally allowed herself to smile as well. _"Javex,_ baby."

 _"_ _Javex,"_ Lux repeated slowly. He'd never learned Onderonian properly. "How do I tell him...her...it - how I say I love you?"

 _"_ _Quai tu liana."_

 _"_ _Quai tu …"_ he stumbled over the last word and made a face. "I'm going to learn this for you. That is, if your mommy will teach me." He looked askance of Dalla.

"She will," she grinned. "We love you, baby. Can't wait to meet you."


	22. Maelstrom

**MAELSTROM**

She was looking out the window of Blackhold's library and crying.

It was stupid, Kayla thought as she wiped her eyes. But the fading sunset out the window looked just like this drawing she'd done of her and Kora, sitting on a dock and looking out over the waves. Kayla had never been separated from her twin this long, not once. She missed Kora fiercely, like a part of her was gone.

And poor Kora too. Surely she missed Kayla just as much. And she'd been so sad when they last saw each other, sure she was never going to be happy in whatever marriage their father schemed up.

Salt gods, it was so _unfair!_ Kayla had a husband she loved and a baby on the way; why couldn't Kora have the same?

"Kayla? Kayla, what's wrong?"

Kayla furiously wiped away her tears and swallowed hard. Her mother-in-law must have come by to check on her with her due date so close. "No-nothing," she sniffed and looked over to the doorway. It wasn't Shara. It was Dalla.

"Doesn't sound like nothing." Dalla took a seat on the sofa next to Kayla. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Kayla sniffed once more and then the dam broke. "It's Kora. I haven't seen her for months!"

"I see," Dalla patted her shoulder. "Well, we can raise her on the comm right now. And this spring, after the thaw, you and Emoth can sail over to the Keep and show off your little boy. She'll be thrilled!"

"If she's even at the Keep come spring," Kayla sobbed and returned her face to her hands.

Dalla raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, 'if she's even at the Keep'?"

"Kora and I are going to be seventeen."

"Well aye, we knew that…"

"And she loves Cade!" Kayla cried. "At Kason's and Thias' wedding, and mine, and then at yours, they were all each other was looking at. They should marry each other, I just know it."

Dalla nodded. "If she loves Cade and Cade loves her, then we'd be happy to have her at the Hold."

"Kora would love to be here too. But my father already has one daughter in with the Blackwells. And Talia got him in with the Harkons, so he's probably going to betroth Kora to someone who'll make him another alliance. He's going to make her marry someone she doesn't like, or even know! She doesn't want to, but he'll make her do it anyway."

Dalla's hand curled into a fist but Kayla didn't notice.

"All I want is for Kora to be happy, and the happiest I've ever seen her is with Cade. When we went to the pub, at the weddings, and then after the wedding when they went back to Cade's ship with -." Kayla's hands flew to her mouth, but it was already too late. Dalla was stiff as a board in the seat next to her, face bright red and now both hands in fists.

"Your father is trying to force your sister into marriage," she growled. "And my brother did _what?"_

She stood up before Kayla could respond and started toward the door.

"Wait!" Kayla snapped out of her trance. "Dalla, please -."

"Oh don't worry Kayla, I'm not going to kill them," Dalla reassured her and then resumed her war walk muttering "I'm going to work them over, but I'm not going to kill them."

Kayla tried to scramble after her, but by the time she so much got off the couch Dalla was already down the hall. She didn't even delude herself with the possibility of catching up to her; there was no way she at nine months pregnant could run faster than Dalla or when she did, stop her.

However, she knew someone who could.

Kayla made for Lux Bonteri's last known location with all speed.

…

"Where do you think she went?" Lux asked while he and Kayla speedwalked (or in her case, speedwaddled) down the corridor.

"I don't know. She's mad at Cade and she's mad at my Papa, but I don't know what she's going to do. Is she going to get on her ship?"

"Not her ship," Lux answered immediately. "Even if she wanted to string up your father, she wouldn't risk - oh, kriff." He took a hard right down another corridor and Kayla had to hurry to keep up. "The comm room. If you're father's involved, it's going to be the comm room. We need to hurry."

"Why? If she's in the comm room then she's not going anywhere."

"Because if she's started, then it's already too late."

…

It was far too late for them. Dalla hit the comm room before Kayla had even reached Lux, and punched in Hugo Bralykburn's frequency from memory.

So maybe it was crazy. She didn't care. Since that test had turned blue Dalla was officially landlocked and the boredom was already driving her nuts. It would be worse when the high season started, yet even as it was she was ready to tear stone from stone. Hugo Bralykburn was a welcome distraction and if taking him down a peg or two boosted her family name and prevented another girl from going through the same circus she did with Rash, then Dalla was a hundred percent on board.

Kriff, she was on board just for the chance to take Hugo down a peg.

But before she could think about it any more the comm chimed and the man himself materialized before her eyes.

 _"_ _Lady Blackwell,"_ he said, grinning and probably reliving the last comm they'd had. _"I wasn't expecting a comm from you, especially at this hour."_

"This news was just too good to wait on, Lord Bralykburn."

 _"_ _Is it Kayla? She hasn't had her babe yet, has she?"_

"Oh no, the baby seems intent on staying where he is. It's your other daughter I want to talk to you about." She flashed her best Cheshire Tooka grin. What it lacked in attractiveness, it made up in _you're really in for it now_ impressions. "Lord Bralykburn, I have a fascinating proposition to make you."

He crossed his arms. He thought he had her now, but he was only digging his own grave. _"And what sort of proposition would this be?"_

"You have a lovely unwed daughter," Dalla began. "And I have an unwed brother of an age who seems to get along well with her. Everything's been going so well with Kayla, and she misses her sister. I believe our houses should be united once again. Cade's a third son, Kora's a third daughter, it's practically meant to be." _It was meant to be the second he deflowered Kora. Oh my salt gods, once I'm done with Hugo I might take back what I said about killing Cade._

 _"_ _You want my Kora to marry your brother?"_ Hugo snorted. _"My lady, in case you've overlooked who's living in your holdfast, I already have a Blackwell match."_

"And you're about to have another."

He laughed. _"I'm Kora's father. I decide who she weds, and your wild little brother wasn't even a thought while I was crafting my list of possibilities. Maybe you've forgotten that, going behind your own father's back to net yourself the crown prince. Speaking of him - I'm very sorry. I should be calling you Lady Bonteri, shouldn't I?"_

She saw that and raised the stakes. "With that same logic isn't your daughter Kayla Blackwell? Has such a nice ring to it."

Hugo tabled the topic for another day. _"Whichever name the bride uses, it's her father who gives permission for her to marry. And Kora does not have my permission to marry Cade Blackwell!"_

"I think there's been a misunderstanding, Lord Bralykburn." The grin fell from her face. "I'm not asking."

Hugo puffed up. _"And what in the galaxy makes you think that you can stick your crooked nose into my family's matters? You may sit in that holdfast and play Liege Lady and you may be the prince's who- wife, but you're not one of us! You've barely even set foot in the Keep."_

"That may be true," she admitted. "But we don't need to share the same hall to learn about each other. In our case, we do a lot of that over the comm."

 _"_ _Aye, we do. I think I reminded you who makes marriage decisions the last time we spoke."_

"Oh no, I was talking about the comm before that." She fished her personal unit out of her pocket and plugged it into the holotable to display a saved recording. It was eight years old, but it still worked like a charm. A younger version of Hugo Bralykburn popped up next to an image of Steela Gerrera.

 _"_ _Tell me,"_ the Hugo in the recording said. _"How does a southern whore have this frequency?"_

The live Hugo sputtered seeing his own image. _"You have that?"_

"When we evacuated the safehouse Steela took the hard drive out of the holotable so no one would be able to find us. It was my job to carry it out, and I held onto it." She resisted the urge to smirk. "I made copies, of course. And just in case, I still have that hard drive. But enough about that. How many people saw this recording during the war, just my uncle and the Harkons? Seems to me that if your vassals found out…" _Or if your vassals found out that your sweet little daughter isn't so pure after all, then I'm sure that list of suitors you told me about would disappear like ice on a brazier._ She bit her tongue. No way was she going to give Hugo any ammunition against her family and no way was she going to do to Kora what those reporters had done to her.

 _"_ _You wouldn't."_

"You will allow Kora to marry Cade, or I will spread this recording like jam," she snapped. "I'll make it go viral. Every lord, merchant, and beggar on Onderon will see it. Everyone in the _galaxy._ You'll forever be the man who called Steela Gerrera a whore and then got his shebs handed to him by two teenage girls." She tapped a few buttons on the controls and called up a still from the paused holo, of Hugo's shocked face a few seconds after Dalla had stepped into the holofield. "Freeze-frame bonus. I'll make sure to point that out in the description."

 _"_ _Blackmail!"_

"Negotiations. The decision is entirely up to you, Lord Bralykburn. Let Kora make an advantageous match which any girl in the north would die to make, or refuse and become HoloNet famous. There's no downside."

Hugo looked like he wanted nothing more than to turn her into paste, but Dalla didn't care a bit. Not while she had all the cards.

Just then the door burst open and Lux slid into the comm room like he was on skates. Dalla dropped the triumphant grin to give him a warm _I got this_ look and he relaxed and nodded his silent blessing. Salt gods, out of every man in the galaxy she was glad she was having this one's baby.

Hugo must have noticed someone had come in but he didn't press the issue. _"Lady Blackwell, I love my daughter. I only want what's best for her and for our house."_

"So do I. I won't keep you up any longer, Lord Bralykburn. Good night." And with that and one last smug smile she ended the transmission.


	23. Maelstrom Continued

**MAELSTROM CONTINUED**

"Lux's Sister, were there not two people with whom Dalla had the proverbial fish bone to pick?" sayeth Duchess Kenobi.

"Why yes," She doth reply, "that rascally youngest brother of hers."

"Shall we now continue our tale to confirm whether or not she has caught up with him?"

"Oh do let's!"

…

Kayla twisted her hands together and then forced them apart and rubbed her big belly distractedly. Lux would handle Dalla, if anyone could, but there was someone else she had to warn of the coming storm and she thought she knew just where to find him.

When she did, double trouble sat with their backs to her, each with a game controller in his hands, dueling it out on some retro game system that her husband had rebuilt.

"Cade!"

They both turned at the sound of her voice and Emoth looked alarmed, "Is it the baby?"

She shook her head and focused on her husband's cousin. "Cade," she said again. "I accidentally told Dalla about you and my sister after the wedding. So basically… run!"

It took him a beat to gather her meaning. Then he was scrambling. "Kriff!" He zipped out of the room faster than she had ever seen him move before.

Emoth laid down his own controller and made his way cautiously towards her. "Are you alright?" He asked looking her over for injury.

"Aye, I'm fine." Kayla answered automatically as he hugged her. "I'm not sure how well my Papa is going to be when Dalla gets through with him. She seemed pretty angry when I told her that he was going to make Kora marry someone she doesn't know."

"Aye, that's kind of a sore spot with, Dal." Emoth laughed, just glad that it wasn't his wife and child who were in danger this time.

"And she seemed pretty angry at Cade too."

Emoth looked the way his cousin had run. "At least you gave him a head start. I think Dalla knows most of his hiding places by now though, especially if she enlists Thias to help her."

"I didn't mean to tell her." Kayla confessed. "I was only feeling sorry for Kora and well, I mean… I thought that it was kind of obvious that the two of them… since you and I…" she rubbed her belly again. The baby was running out of room, and now that she was standing still, after running around so much, he decided to stretch and change his position in his limited living space.

Emoth marveled at the way her stomach moved. He put his own hands on the bulge and grinned. "Maybe everyone thought Cade and Kora were just covering for us.."

"Well, they know now." It was hard for Kayla to worry about anything else, when she was enjoying this moment with her husband. They were interrupted again by the chiming of her personal comm unit. Only one person ever commed her so she knew it had to be her twin.

Emoth kissed her before she could run off to answer it in privacy. "It'll all work out." He promised and let her go.

…

" _Kay, you will never believe what just happened_!" Kora was already talking a klick a minute before her image came into focus above the projector unit. " _I had gone down stairs to the kitchen for a snack. You know those legume and cheese things that Bev makes that we eat with crackers and…"_

"Stop you're making me hungry." Kayla laughed. "But those would totally give me heartburn right now."

" _Well I knew there were some left in the conservator so I came down to get some but I had to sneak past Papa's office door. He was on a comm or something but I had no idea why anybody would be comming so late. I thought it might be you, but I knew you would comm me first if you thought your labor might be starting_." She stopped and seemed to really study her twin's image for a moment. _"You really have gotten huge by the way_."

"Oh thanks. Just wait till it's your turn." Kayla snorted.

Kora became more serious. " _That was my other thought, that Papa was having some late night betrothal negotiation meeting and he'd want to ship me off before the freeze so I could get right down to making babies for the Flints."_

Kayla paled. _Dalla was too late! Papa had already done it! Kora would have no chance to be with Cade!_

 _"_ _And well_ ," Kora continued. " _I guess he sort of was. Only… it wasn't the Flints._ " She paused dramatically.

Everyone thought Kayla was the artistic twin because she was always sketching and painting but Kora could tell a story like nobody else in the Galaxy.

She sighed for effect and then went on. _"I was in the kitchen and Papa must have noticed that the light was on in there after he finished his comm. He didn't say anything about me being up so late. He just sat beside me at the table and grabbed a cracker and dip for himself. He sort of had that expression on his face. You know the one, like he's just lost a hand but he's drawn a better card."_

Kayla nodded, enthralled by the tale.

 _"_ _And after he had chewed and swallowed he said, 'Kora my dear, I have finally chosen you a suitor.' Well, I was like, 'Aye, Papa?' and he says_ …" again she paused.

"What did he say?"

Kora couldn't contain herself any longer. Even from the holoimage her face lit up like a thousand suns. " _He said, 'You will wed… Cade Blackwell'!"_

Both girls screamed with delight and Emoth came running to see what was the matter. He was relieved to see his wife's smile and the fact that she wasn't doubled over with contractions and her water hadn't broken all over the floor.

"I'm so happy for you, Kor! Now you can come here and we'll all be together again!"

Just then there was another yell from somewhere else in the Hold.

"What was that?" Kayla asked her husband.

"I think Dalla may have found Cade's hiding place."

"Oh kriff." Kayla didn't normally swear.

Kora frowned. " _Please, make sure no one kills him before we have a chance to get married."_

"I will," her twin promised. "And I'll comm you the moment I go into labor."

…

"Cade, what in salt gods' names were you _thinking?"_ Thias bellowed.

Cade tried to duck around his brother and sister but they blocked him. "What was I thinking? The same thing you thought when you met Cybele!"

Wrong thing to say. Thias puffed up his chest and replied "Aye, I _thought._ But I didn't _do_ anything. There's a difference between thinking those things and actually doing them."

"And with Hugo Bralykburn's daughter!" Dalla added.

"What does it matter?" Cade scoffed. "It's not like we hurt anyone."

"You represent House Blackwell, Cade." Thias shot back. "You know how touchy relations have been with the Bralykburns. You and Kora almost tore all of that down."

"But we didn't."

"And you still dishonored yourself and her!"

"It worked out alright for Emoth and Kayla." Cade pointed out.

"This was close, Cade. I just barely got Hugo Bralykburn to agree to the betrothal," Dalla announced, trying to impress the gravity of the situation upon him.

Cade blinked. "Wait, betrothal?"

"Aye, betrothal. You caused this mess and now you get to clean it up and marry the girl."

"Really?" He grinned ear to ear.

"Don't think this was a favor to you, Cade." If anything it was a favor for Kayla so she wouldn't miss her twin. "This is about duty and duty alone."

"Aye, duty." Cade was still smiling too much for their taste. "When's the wedding? Can we have it right after the freeze?"

Did he understand _any_ of this? _"Cade!_ This is not a reward!" Thias yelled.

"Well aye, but I love Kora. I wanted to marry her anyway."

"So was this a ploy to get married?" Dalla demanded.

"No!"

"What's going on here?" Marlon charged into the room with the entire rest of the family behind him. "What in salt gods' names are you arguing about?"

"Father!" Cade immediately capitalized on the potential ally. "We have great news."

Thias glared. "No, we do not."

Dalla was focused on someone else. "Lux, did you bring them here?"

Lux attempted to calm his wife. "Someone had to."

Marlon ignored his two older children. "Cade, what is this?"

Cade grinned. "I get to marry Kora Bralykburn!"

Silence.

Shara's jaw dropped. "What?"

Jamos clenched his fists. "What?"

Marlon turned purple. _"What?"_

From her place by the doorway Kayla shrank a little.

"Who said you were going to marry Kora Bralykburn?" Marlon demanded.

"Dalla commed Hugo Bralykburn. He said -."

But it didn't matter what Hugo said, because right then all hell broke loose.

Jamos bellowed "That kriffing _pirate!"_ and Shara's attempt to calm him down just devolved into more yelling.

Marlon had redirected his anger to his daughter. "Dalla, you held betrothal negotiations?" He roared in an earth-shattering baritone. "That's not your job!"

Apparently volume was genetic. "It's not like that, Father!"

"It sure sounds like it!"

"It's a long story." Lux stood between the two of them, every so often turning around like he didn't know which one he'd have to stop.

With Marlon and Dalla occupied, Thias and Cade had started yelling at each other again with Cybele and Emoth backing up their respective combatants.

Kayla watched in shock from the doorway as the normally decorous, or at least controlled chaotic Blackwell family exploded before her eyes. She placed her hands on her belly in an attempt to cover her baby's ears.

 _Don't listen,_ she thought and rubbed her belly. _They don't mean what they're saying about our family, but they're all fired up and I'm not sure how to get through to them now. The only thing they'd listen to now is…_

An idea came to Kayla and she leaned against the door and groaned as loud as she could, clutching her belly. _"Oww!"_

As swiftly as it had begun, the argument stopped and all eyes were on Kayla.

Emoth was by her side in an instant. "Is it the baby? Is your labor starting?"

"No." Kayla composed herself and glared at her in-laws. "And you all call the Bralykburns savage."

"So you're alright?" Shara confirmed.

"Aye, I'm fine. I was just trying to end this argument so the baby would still have an extended family," Kayla huffed. "I know some of you have your issues with my father, but Kora really loves Cade. I know her better than anyone, and she's great to live with. She's kind, and she tells really good stories, and she'll be so excited to come here with all of us and the new baby."

"The new baby who is not coming right now, correct?" Jamos stuck his neck out.

"No, he's not." She relaxed now that the argument seemed to be over. "Maybe he'll be here in time for Kora's arrival."

"There's no maybe to that one." Marlon shook his head. "The sea is freezing up; no one's going anywhere until spring."

"Well, then it's important we all get along, isn't it?" She smiled thinly.

"Aye, I suppose it is." Marlon shot one more look to Dalla and then sighed. "And I suppose we have a wedding to plan in the meantime."

Everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief when the Blackwell patriarch said that. Especially Cade.

"We'll discuss this later," he said. "Right now, I think Kayla has the right of it. We all need some time to cool off."

Kayla nodded, happy that her ruse had been successful. Then she waddled across the room and pulled Cade into an awkward hug. "Congratulations. I'm glad you're going to be my brother."

"Aye." He grinned. "Me too. And I guess this means I'm going to be an uncle too."

"That's right." Emoth joined them. "But you had better not be teaching my son any nasty tricks."

"Hey some of those tricks are yours and who else is going to teach him if your beautiful wife won't let you?"

Kayla smiled and then sobered and rubbed her back. "Speaking of which your beautiful wife is feeling pretty worn out. I'm ready to get to bed."

"Alright, Love." Emoth wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He winked at Cade. "Congrats, cousin or is it brother now?"

"Salt gods!" Cade moaned. "You make us sound like a couple of inbred southern Flints."

"Haha." Emoth laughed and led Kayla through the crowd of relatives who were now starting to come around and follow their lead in congratulating the groom to be. "Goodnight all!"

The two of them made it to the hall where it was blessedly quiet after the noise of the argument and aftermath.

Kayla half groaned, half sighed and rubbed her back again.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Emoth asked her.

"Aye." She waved it off. "Been on my feet too long. Just need to lie down. Maybe a massage?" She smiled up at him.

"Gladly!" He grinned. "You were great in there, a better diplomat than Bonteri. And when you pretended…" he shook his head. "I was sure it was the real…"

They both looked at the floor and Kayla clutched at her stomach as a gush of fluid spilled over their shoes. She was panting, "Now. I think. It is. The real thing."

"Mom!" Emoth called back over his shoulder. "Mom we need you! And Ms Niamh!"

Shara had wondered at the appearance of her daughter in law as she and Emoth left the room even though she had said that her little display to stop the argument had not been an actual contraction. When she heard Emoth scream for help she was the first one to come running. There was no crying Lothwolf in the tone of her son's voice. When the mother of five raced down the hall and saw the young soon to be parents standing there in a puddle of amniotic fluid, a rush of excitement and adrenaline took over all other thought.

"Jamos!" She called back over her shoulder. "Comm Niamh! We're going to have a grandbaby!"

Emoth was beyond reason. She thought he might faint and Shara knew just what to do. Her son needed an occupation. He needed to feel like he was doing something to help his wife. Shara wondered if that was where the whole telling the father to get towels and hot water thing started. She put a hand on his shoulder. "Clean sheets on the bed?"

"Sheets? Clean! Aye Momma." He raced toward their bedroom and then turned and raced back to Kayla. "Are you alright? You're okay? We're gonna have a baby!"

The girl nodded. "Go. Do what your mother says. She knows what she's talking about."

"Aye. Okay." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and then ran off again.

"Owww." Kayla keened. "It really hurts."

Shara held on to her through the contraction and rubbed the girl's back. Then she looked her in the eyes and asked, "Do you think you can walk?"

Kayla nodded and allowed herself to be slowly steered down the hall. Jamos emerged from the living room with the comm unit in his hand having just finished speaking to the midwife. "Niamh's on her way. Anything else you need me to do?"

"We're doing just fine here." Shara said gently and smiled encouragingly at Kayla. "The floor here will need to be cleaned up so no one slips, Love." She called back to her husband.

"I promised I'd comm Kora and let her know." Kayla took small steps.

"We'll do that as soon as we get you settled, alright?" Shara told her.

"Aye."

Emoth raced back out of the bedroom to Kayla's other side opposite his mother to help guide her to the bedroom. "New, clean sheets on the bed. Is she alright? Are you alright, Kay?"

"I'm fine right now. I…" she stopped in her tracks and grunted which rose in pitch to a cry of pain as the contraction intensified.

"What do we do? Is this normal? Is she okay?" Emoth worried.

"It's okay." Shara nodded trying to put them both at ease. "Shhhh… Breathe through it, Kayla. You're doing great." She checked the chrono on her wrist. "Should be easing off now. Almost done with this one."

Kayla panted. "I want Kora," she cried.

Emoth looked at his mother, helpless.

"Just a few more steps to the bedroom and then we can get you more comfortable. Niamh will bring everything you need." Shara assured her calmly.

"Emoth?" Kayla looked up at him like a frightened child. 

"I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. I love you, Kay."

She smiled weakly.

Cade ran down the hallway then having finished his comm to Kora and taking in at a glance what was going on. "Whoa! You mean it's happening now?"

"Aye." Emoth didn't take his eyes off his wife or stop in the slow, steady process of walking her toward their room. "So either be helpful or get out."

"Cade," Kayla squeaked. "Could you get Kora on the comm again?"

"On it." he pulled the unit out of his pocket and reactivated the ID he had just finished talking to.

Instead of Kora, it was Hugo Bralykburn's image that appeared over the unit. " _Boy, I agreed to the betrothal but you've already kept my daughter up long enough. It's late and she needs her sleep_."

"I'm not comming about Kora this time, sir. It's Kayla." He held up the device's recorder so Hugo could see his daughter walking slowly with Shara on one side and Emoth on the other supporting her.

"My baby's coming, Papa!" Kayla called back over her shoulder.

" _Salt gods! My baby's having a baby!_ "

Kora's image came into the projection along with their father. Worry was evident on both their faces. " _You can do this, Kay. Everything's gonna be alright. Kriff, we should be there with her, Papa_."

Jamos hurried back up the hallway with a holocam, ready to document the entire event. "How's she doing, Shar? You alright Emoth, my boy? I just about fainted when your Momma had Kason."

"I'm okay, Dad. Kay's doing great. She's amazing."

Niamh arrived then as well. The midwife had delivered every Blackwell baby (other than Thias who had been born during a snowstorm forcing Shara to stand in for her in that case). "How's my patient?"

Shara caught her up on how long it had been since water had broken and how far apart the contractions were now.

Kayla had to pause again just outside the bedroom door for another contraction clutching onto her husband who also gave a cry of pain when her fingernails dug into his arm.

Lana having heard about the event from her own bedroom on the opposite wing of the hold came running to be a part of things. "My nephew is coming!"

Cornel followed behind his little sister like her ever present guard cog, though with his ears covered to protect them from the noise of all the other excited observers.

Then Cybele breezed past with Thias making way for her with a shout. "Let the nurse through!"

The togruta gave a nod to the midwife and scooted past the rest of the onlookers to make sure that the room was prepared for the imminent arrival.

Finally, the most recent contraction seemed to ease and Kayla was escorted the rest of the way into the room followed by most of the rest of the crowd.

Turning to them Niamh laid down the law. "If you are not essential to this process, get out!"

"Sorry that's us, Gramps," Cade said to the holo projector in his hand and the images of Kora and Hugo who were desperately trying to get a glimpse of what was going on with their twin/daughter.

" _No! Leave me in here!_ " Hugo could be heard shouting and cursing a blue streak half-way down the hallway.

"I'm essential, Aye?" Jamos held up the holocam.

Shara took it from him, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and shoved him toward the door. "No you're not, Love."

Then she had to snag Emoth by the collar and pull him back in. "You are essential, my dear."

After all that confusion, the volume seemed to suddenly be cut off. The mother-to-be was surrounded by her husband, midwife and two experienced helpers while the crowd outside paced and prayed and waited.

It didn't take long for a first delivery, only a couple of hours before Shara came to the door and was nearly assaulted by everyone wanting news from the birthing room. "Cade, you still have Hugo on the comm?"

"Aye, Aunt Shara." He pushed through the other bodies and handed her the unit. He had turned down the volume but Hugo's image was obviously still ranting.

She pressed the button for him to hear her voice before she unmuted the pirate's. "Kayla is getting very close and she would like for her father and sister to be present. However I am not bringing this unit into the room until I hear you promise not to bother her with pointless worries. I am taking you off mute now."

 _"_ _... Stupid! Kriffing! Witch!..."_

She muted it once again and waited patiently. "Let's try this again. Have you gotten that out of your system?"

Shara pressed the activation button to Hugo's heavy angry breathing but this time he was silent before he growled with forced calm. _"Let me. See. My baby girl."_ He sighed. _"Just tell me she's okay. I lost her mother I can't…"_

"She's doing fine, Hugo." Shara smiled. "Really and truly. She and the baby are healthy and strong and he's going to be here…"

Niamh called from inside the room. "He's crowning, Shara! Come quick!"

Shara brought the comm unit into the room to the head of Kayla's bed where she could see her father and sister projected in the image.

" _Why isn't she screaming? Shouldn't this be the hardest part?_ " Kora's voice spoke up.

Kayla smiled. "She gave me an epidural, Kor. I can hardly feel a thing, Papa. Don't worry."

" _My girl telling me not to worry_." Hugo had tears running down his cheeks.

"You can still feel the pressure though, correct?" asked Cybele, checking the level of the fluid in the IV bag.

"Aye. That I can feel." Kayla winced but she didn't cry out. She looked over at Emoth who was holding her hand and looked as white as the salt gods.

Niamh was intent on her work. "Alright, Kayla. On this next contraction you're going to push nice and easy and we're going to deliver his head, Aye?"

Kayla nodded. She could feel the pressure building again and her body knew it was time even if she wasn't feeling the pain.

Shara saw her son ready to blackout, set the holo projector on the bedside table and went to support the baby boy she had given birth to 19 years before.

"Great job, Kayla! He's almost here!" Niamh encouraged her.

The young mother did cry now but not because of the pain. The emotion was overpowering.

"One more push!"

The newest Blackwell er… Bralykburn burst forth into the world and his proud papa exclaimed. "Salt gods, Kay! He's beautiful! Why isn't he crying?"

Niamh used the aspirator to clear out the fluid out of the newborn's mouth and nose. "Just give him a second to get his breath."

And the child rewarded them all with a loud shriek. His parents, grandmother, grandpapa and aunt all laughed through their tears.

"Would you like to help me cut the cord, Papa?" Niamh asked.

"What? Who? Me? No, I'd be afraid I'd miss and cut him." Emoth refused.

Cybele came forward with a blanket to wrap the tiny bundle and laid him on his mother's chest.

"He's… perfect." Kayla cried.

"He really is." Emoth agreed. "He's amazing. You are amazing." He kissed his wife and the fuzzy damp head of his newborn son.

" _Hold him up for us to see!_ " Kora called from the comm unit.

"May I?" Emoth asked, holding out his hands to take his son in his arms and Shara stepped in to assist the transfer from one exhausted elated parent to the other.

"Happy Birthday." Shara smiled and for a moment Emoth thought his mother was only talking to the newborn.

Then he glanced at the chrono and noticed that it was well after midnight. "It's my birthday!" he grinned. "And it's his birthday!" He beamed at his son and then at his wife, "Best present ever!"

As gently as could be the new Papa carried the baby closer to the recorder. "Come see your grandpapa and Aunt Kora," he whispered.

" _Salt gods_." was all Hugo could manage choked with emotion.

" _Awww… I just want to snuggle him to bits_." Kora crooned, reaching as if she could touch him through the transmission.

"What's his name?" Cybele asked, happily attending to afterbirth and clean up.

Kayla and Emoth looked at each other and smiled. "You want to tell them?" He asked and went back to stand close to her so they could hold their son together.

She gazed lovingly at the tiny little boy. "His name is Jamos Kaylon Bralykburn."

Hugo sputtered. " _Y-you named him after that_ …"

" _Kaylon? Seriously?_ " Kora giggled.

Kayla was fully prepared to defend their choice and did so. "You got the clan name, Papa. We only thought it would be fair for him to also be named after a Blackwell."

 _"_ _But I can't call my grandson…"_ Hugo was fully prepared to complain but his other daughter gave him a shove.

Kora added, " _Not to mention after your favorite character on that romcom_."

"That's where Kaylon came from?" Emoth asked.

"Aye." Kayla shrugged, blushing and smoothed the damp black curls on the top of her son's head with her fingers.

"Can I hold him?" Shara asked.

Emoth handed the baby over reluctantly.

"Nana thinks Jamos Kaylon Bralykburn is the most beautiful baby in the entire galaxy." She hummed to him. "And anybody who doesn't like it can just call him Jak." She tilted her head. "He looks like a Jak I think."

"Aye, he does." Emoth nodded in agreement as he looked over his mother's shoulder.

"Well you better go out there and tell everyone. But we'll only let them come in one or two at a time." Niamh ordered.

Emoth went to the door and looked back to see his mother placing little Jak back in his mother's arms, ready for visitors.

Whatever noise had been going on out in the hallway ceased with the opening of the door.

"He's here!" Emoth announced. "Jamos Kaylon Bralykburn! And he's perfect!"


	24. The Bralykburns Send Their Regards

**THE BRALYKBURNS SEND THEIR REGARDS**

 _"_ _And who are you, the proud lord said, that I must bow so low?_ She grabbed Edwyn by the arm to turn him and went cold all over when she felt the iron rings beneath his silken sleeve.

Catelyn slapped him so hard she broke his lip. _Olyvar,_ she thought, _and Perwyn, Alesander, all absent. And Roslin wept…"_

LS and DK cordially invite you to the wedding of Cade and Kora! Except as shown above, there are some wedding invitations you should decline. We don't know about you, but Hugo and Dalla are certainly expecting this one to get a little red.

...

 _"_ _So the date's set?"_ Kora's grin practically lit up the hologram.

"Aye, it is." Cade matched her grin, as it was quite impossible not to when confronted with such a rare expression from Kora Bralykburn. "Aunt Shara and Kayla have been throwing themselves into it and they've got everything ready. Now all we need is the bride."

 _"_ _I want to come right after the freeze,"_ she said. _"But Papa wants to wait a bit. He says it's a bad time of year for storms."_

That it was and Cade knew it better than most. "It can be," he conceded. "But it's safe enough if you know what to look for in the Brylks, and I do. I'll come and get you!"

 _"_ _Are you sure?"_

"Aye, of course!" The grin was back full-tilt in anticipation. "As soon as the ice melts I'll swing over in the _Beast's Ride_ and we'll sail straight into the ceremony."

 _"_ _Are you a knight in shining armor?"_ she scoffed.

"Why, do you want me to wear some?"

 _"_ _Maybe,"_ she shrugged noncommittally. _"Not when you come get me, though. Papa would think it's ridiculous."_

"As you wish. I can just keep it in my cabin for the trip over."

 _"_ _Think again. We have the rest of our lives for that, you can hold on for three days."_

The rest of their lives. Salt gods, those words were music to Cade's ears. "And we will make up for it, believe me."

 _"_ _Speaking of that,"_ Kora turned serious now. _"Cade, it's alright with you if we don't have kids for a few years after the wedding, right?"_

"Well…" That sounded just fine to Cade, but he wasn't sure exactly how to phrase it.

 _"_ _Because I got the hypo."_

"Oh."

 _"_ _Thinking back I should have talked with you before I did it, but I was pretty sure we were on the same page."_ Kora shrugged, but not flippantly.

"We are. I don't mind at all." It was a moot point now anyway and another thought sprang into his head. "So that means, if we … you know, before the wedding."

 _"_ _Cade Alon Blackwell, no, and do not let my Papa hear that,"_ she warned. _"He's touchy enough as it is."_

"We'll keep it to ourselves, then." He smirked. "Well, the sooner I pull my crew together the sooner I can come to spirit away my beautiful bride."

 _"_ _See you soon, Cade. I'll be looking forward to our_ separate _cabins for the trip over."_

…

He hadn't planned to stay at Bralyk Keep. Cade wanted to pick up Kora, give his crew a few hours' shore leave, and leave for the Hold. But the second the they arrived back at the docks the Brylks were swimming frantically and letting out warning cries. Neither Cade nor Hugo had delusions as to what they were warning them about.

So here he was staying in one of the Keep's guest rooms. He'd commed his sister just in case his soon to be father-in-law tried to cancel the wedding by eliminating half of the couple and then he was left alone to wait out the storm.

It felt like the Keep would wash into the sea from the driving rain, but the holdfast had stood strong for worse storms and Cade was willing to put his faith in the structure for this one. Likewise his crew was safe at the Keep's inn, Cade just hoped his precious _Beast's Ride_ was alright in the harbor.

Nothing he could do about it here, and looking out the window just made him feel anxious and cooped-up. Cade wandered further down the dimly-lit hallway, looking for something interesting. Eventually he found something, across from another window which illuminated it in the poor light. It was a painting, like the ones that hung in the Hold from before Cade was born, but it was of a woman standing on the beach in a storm, looking out to sea and to the ship being broken apart in the waves.

Cade shivered. He didn't want to have that mental image, not with his own ship in the harbor. And not since he'd lived through that nightmare so many years ago.

 _He was only six years old, barely a cabin boy and small enough that his father's ship felt like an island._ Alon's Hand _was unsinkable, yet sink it did and the survivors were left floating on a raft of wreckage, barely out of the jaws of hungry chirns._

 _Cade was wet, and his leathers didn't keep out the cold like he thought they were supposed to. It was a long time since he'd had his supper, and all he could think about was food. It was stew from home that Mother had made, too hot to eat without blowing first and steam coming off the top of the bowl. He'd give all his toys to have a bowl of stew right then._

 _Thinking about hot stew just made him colder so he made himself think of something else. The brylks were still around, swimming by the wreck and occasionally breaching close enough to their raft Cade could have reached out and touched one. The brylks had tried to warn them that a storm was coming and no one had listened to them except Cade and Thias, who was huddled next to him trying to keep warm._

 _"_ _Please, please," It was Father, kneeling over Dalla and shaking her shoulders. "Please Dalla, wake up."_

 _Dalla hadn't listened to Cade or the brylks either. He'd come to her saying "Dal, they won't listen to me" and she'd huffed, replying "Don't look at me. I'm not even a registered officer on this voyage." Neither of them knew why they were voyaging this early, or why Dalla was off the roster, but it didn't matter because it meant they had a new first mate. A new first mate who gave Cade a dirty look when he said he needed to talk with his mother and father and chased him away._

 _Marlon choked back a sob. "Dalla, wake up. Dalla!"_

 _Was Dalla dead? She looked dead, pale and bloody like the other dead people. But before Cade could ask his sister cried and puked water and when she did Marlon tilted his head up to the sky to blink away his tears._

 _All the crying made Cade cry and he looked around for his mother. She always made him feel better just by being around. He'd never wanted his mother so badly in all his life, but she wasn't on the raft. She wasn't on any of the other rafts. She wasn't in the water. She was just … gone._

"She's my first wife, Yanara." Hugo's gruff voice snapped Cade back to the present. "She came from nothing, but no highborn lady had her grace. I loved that woman something fierce."

"Talia's mother? She's beautiful." Cade wasn't sure whether his future father-in-law was really trying to be nice or just messing with him. You never knew with Hugo but he seemed so … sincere.

"Aye she was, and gentle and kind." Hugo stopped next to Cade and gazed at the painting. "She didn't deserve what she got."

"Neither did my mom." Lana was beautiful, and gentle, and kind too. Cade knew that better than he knew about Hugo's Yanara.

"She didn't," Hugo shocked him. "Your uncle might be a whelp, your aunt's a witch, your father's a coward, your sister's a scheming whore and you…" He rolled his eyes instead of bestowing Cade with a title. "Your momma was okay though. I always liked her best out of the lot of you."

 _Bet you weren't too broken up when she died,_ Cade thought wryly. Lana's death had been a major blow to House Blackwell, and little made Hugo happier than blows to House Blackwell.

He must have seen the look on Cade's face. "Do you remember getting checked out when you got back home?"

"Aye," he didn't remember much more than the healer checking him over, listening to his chest, and giving him a lollipop for being brave when he was done. "The Hold's healer was busy with worse injuries, but someone showed up and examined all three of us. I'd never seen him before."

"You passed his practice on the way from the docks."

Cade took a step back. "He was your healer," he realized. "Your healer came to take care of us?"

"You were all just kids," Hugo didn't take his eyes off the painting. "Kids do worse than adults when they're exposed like that. And your sister was in a real bad way. When I heard your healers were overrun I sent mine to make sure you three were okay."

"Why?" That didn't make any sense, at least from the Hugo Cade knew. That Hugo would be more likely to laugh and pour himself a pint at the news of the crash, not worry and send healers.

"I don't like kids dying." Here he closed his eyes as if remembering something particularly painful. "I wouldn't wish that pain on anyone and if there was something I could do to make sure it didn't happen, I was going to do it."

What was Cade supposed to do? Thank him for being decent to his family once? With no good answer and no desire to make things worse between them right before he married Hugo's daughter, he kept quiet.

"The storm should have blown over by morning," he changed the subject. "As long as the ships are in good shape then we can start for the Hold."

"I'd stall if going to the Hold didn't mean seeing my grandson."

The honesty was refreshing. "I'd rush you if you stalled."

"Don't push it," Hugo warned and turned away from the painting to stalk off. "There's still a long journey for me to change my mind about this kriffing marriage."

Cade didn't doubt it. "I'll see you and Kora in the morning, then." Salt gods, he could hardly wait.

The ships hadn't been damaged and the bridal procession met at the docks bright and early as scheduled. Kora was glowing with anticipation and excitement, Hugo not so much especially when he noticed which gangplank his daughter was walking toward.

"Kora!" He raced up behind her and looked tempted to grab the back of her dress to stop her. "Kora, where are you going?"

"To the ships, Papa." Kora half sighed, having known this was coming.

"You think you're going over on the _Beast's Ride?"_ Hugo stressed the ship's name and shook his head. "No, not happening. The bride and groom can't…"

"We have separate staterooms," Kora insisted. "And Cade has given his word that they will remain separate staterooms."

Hugo pressed his lips into a thin line. "I -."

Cade decided to speak up. "Lord Bralykburn, to be honest if something happened between myself and Kora before the wedding, Thias and Dalla would boil me alive."

Hugo's mouth twitched a little at Dalla's name, which didn't make a whole lot of sense because he hated her. But Kora took advantage of the momentary mood switch and took his hand.

"Papa, I know you're going to miss me," she said. "But think of it as practice. You'll be right behind us the whole time."

He must have sensed his daughter wasn't going to budge. Instead Hugo hugged her tight and gave Cade a death glare over her shoulder.

"I'll be watching with binoculars the whole time, Kora girl," he said definitely not to Kora.

…

The bridal party (plus Hugo) was met at the docks by a jubilant reception, led by Kayla and Emoth with little Jak who stole the show right off the bat. Kora seemed intent on holding her nephew until the end of time, and Hugo proclaimed him the strongest, smartest baby who ever lived. He'd carried the little boy all the way up to the salt formation until he had to let him go to give Kora away.

When Kora wasn't looking his face darkened like a storm cloud, but he pushed his anger and distaste aside for his little girl. She might have been marrying an idiot, but she was walking on air. And Hugo had to admit, he was glad she and Kayla would be in close proximity again. They'd missed each other something awful.

Now if only she were marrying someone else.

For Kora's benefit and for the benefit of the crowd he refrained from scowling when he gave her away and when the couple said their vows

Then the vows were complete and Cade swept Kora into his arms to kiss her passionately. The nerve of him! Luckily, it was easier for Hugo to hide his growl in the sea of cheers and well-wishes. Kriff everyone! Couldn't they see what an idiot the groom was? This was a tragedy, not a celebration.

The couple separated and Cade said something to Kora with a dopey smile, and she rolled her eyes and grabbed his head to kiss him again. The cheers renewed, especially from the crew of the _Beast's Ride._

Finally they decided they'd had enough and walked up the aisle hand-in-hand, leading the way to the reception. Hugo forced himself to smile for his daughter's sake. He wasn't going to make her unhappy on her big day. All Kora would see from him today was love, and happiness, and victory.

 _Victory._

While he followed the bridal party to the reception hall Hugo scanned the crowd for Dalla Blackwell. She was a few paces behind him, wearing a gray silk dress and laughing at something her husband said.

 _Enjoy it now, you smirking whore. It won't last._

…

"Papa, this is like a dream come true!" Kora whispered into his ear during the father-daughter dance. "I'm so glad you chose Cade for me to wed. He's wonderful, and I feel like the luckiest woman in the world."

 _You would have been luckier. You would have had a man who was worthy of you._ Hugo blinked the tears of frustration from his eyes. "That's all I wanted. For you to be happy."

"I know. You've always put us first -."

"And if that Cade Blackwell doesn't make you happy, I'll come after him with my harpoon!"

"Papa!" Kora laughed and lightly swatted his arm. She thought he was joking. For her sake, Hugo hoped she'd never have to find out he wasn't.

He changed the subject. "At least Kayla will be close by. I know you missed each other."

"Aye. And of course Cade will make sure I'm not lonely."

If he heard "Cade" one more time, he was going to march up to the boy and knock his smirk off his face. Luckily the song ended before Kora could ask him why he was trying not to scowl.

The groom approached and offered his hand to Kora. "Ready for our first dance, my lady?"

"Salt gods, aye," Kora spun away from her father without a second thought and he retreated back into the crowd, glad that particular torture was over. He could barely keep up his happy pretense during the dance and the last thing he wanted to do was ruin what might be Kora's last happy day. Now it was time to make it a little bit happier for House Bralykburn.

"Lady Blackwell!" He spotted his quarry and threw an arm around her waist without breaking stride, all but dragging her along with him. "Lovely ceremony your family's put together today. I couldn't have done better myself."

"Thank you, Lord Bralykburn." She glanced at him suspiciously. "We all worked very hard on it for the happy couple."

"Oh, and they are so happy." He sped them up and held on tight to her waist. "I didn't see it before, but I do now. We all should celebrate."

"I'm...glad you came around."

"I am too. I'm glad you were so persistent with it." They arrived at his destination and Hugo signaled the bartender. "Two ales!"

"Ales?" Dalla repeated, a shadow of anxiety creeping into her voice. "Isn't it a bit early to start drinking?"

"Not for half this place," he gestured to the other guests. "It's a wedding, Lady Blackwell. We're toasting the new union!"

"Right…" the bartender set the ales in front of them but Dalla didn't move to take hers. Hugo suppressed a smirk.

"Salt gods girl, what are you a Jedi?" He couldn't choke back some amused laughter. "Go on and pick it up. You only celebrate your last brother's wedding once."

Dalla opened her mouth no doubt to try and duck out but just then Lux raced over holding two full wineglasses. "There you are! I was starting to wonder where you'd gone."

"I've just been talking with Lord Bralykburn." Dalla extricated herself from Hugo's grip. "We were discussing how well this day turned out."

Lux handed her one of the wineglasses. "I got your drink."

"Thank you, love."

"Wine?" Hugo asked. "I thought you were the ale type."

"Usually I am. Tastes change, I guess." She was much calmer now and raised her glass. "You proposed a toast?"

"Right." He picked up his ale. "To Kora and Cade, and our houses being joined once more."

"Here here," Lux clinked his glass with the others'.

Hugo hid his smirk in his ale. He had his suspicions since Dalla touched her belly on the blackmail comm, but he had all the confirmation he needed now. All thanks to Lux Bonteri bringing his wife a glass of grape juice. Well, that and what he'd felt when he was holding her waist. That helped too.

With the thought tucked away Hugo poked back to his seat to drink ale and spend time with his grandchildren (really, he couldn't get enough of Jak) for the duration of the reception, until Marlon called for the bedding ceremony and a laughing crowd bore Kora and Cade away for their honeymoon. Flip as his daughter tried to be about the notion of marriage, Hugo knew that Kora had been reading bridal holomags since she was old enough to order them on the datapad. He wouldn't dream of ruining her big day. Every second Kora was in the great hall, the spotlight would be on her. But when she and her idiot husband left for the evening...

Hugo stood and tapped his glass with a fork to gather everyone's attention.

"I know it's a bit late with our bride and groom gone," he announced. "But in the spirit of friendship, I would like to propose a toast."

He had the whole hall's ear now, and continued. "I toast the health and happiness of my daughter Kora and my new son-in-law Cade, that they find their marriage to be fulfilling and fruitful. We wish them all the joy in the galaxy as they enter this new stage in their lives."

The crowd cheered and raised their glasses, grinning at the previously unseen side of Hugo.

"And," he continued before anyone could take a sip of their drinks. "I toast my new in-laws. Lord Blackwell and his sons are good, honorable men like those who came before them. And I'd like to give a very special blessing to Lady Blackwell, Senator Bonteri, and their _growing_ family."

All side chatter in the room came to a screeching halt while Lux's and Dalla's eyes widened and a smirk spread over Hugo's face.

"Congratulations, Lady Blackwell," he crowed, raising his glass to the mortified couple. "You must be terribly excited."

Dalla stood stock-still, her face and neck flushed Bralykburn banner red. _Good. How does it feel to be stepped on, Lady Blackwell? How does it feel to have the decisions you make about your family wrested from your hands?_

Lux stood shakily and cleared his throat. "It seems Lord Bralykburn's stolen our thunder," he said. "But it's true. We're going to have a baby."

A valiant attempt to salvage the situation but too little, too late. Already the room was descending into chatter as the news and the rumors manufactured on the spot flew.

Hugo took a long pull of his ale and watched it all happen: the Blackwells' shocked faces, the whispering guests, Talia rolling her eyes and sweet Kayla tearing up, and Dalla trying hard to remain composed and not quite succeeding.

 _Payback's a drexl, Lady Blackwell._

…

"Why would he do that?" Kayla wiped her eyes. "Why? Why can't everyone just get _along?"_

Lux ignored her tears. "Kayla, I know you're upset but _please._ Do you have a copy of Dalla's roast holo?"

"I don't even know what that is!"

"Alright." He sped off out of the ballroom, stopping only to ask Thias what must have been the same question.

Kayla didn't know what a roast holo was or why Lux was so intent on gathering all the copies before Dalla did, but she didn't much care. Why had Papa done such a thing? Lux and Dalla were mortified, Talia had rolled her eyes so hard Kayla thought they'd freeze that way, and Jamos and Thias looked like they were about to beat Hugo to a pulp if Shara and Cybele weren't holding them back.

It was so _insensitive!_ Kayla couldn't imagine if someone else had told Papa that she was pregnant before she had a chance. Had Dalla gotten a chance to tell her father? It didn't look like it. It looked like the announcement was news to the entire Blackwell family. And on Kora's big day too. Could Papa have picked any other day to ruin?

Kayla felt a hand on her arm and assuming it was Emoth she grabbed it and sniffed. "Where did my Papa go? I don't see him, and I just don't want him to bother anyone else."

The voice that replied wasn't Emoth's. "I don't know where he went. I was going to ask you where my husband ran off to."

"Dalla!" Kayla turned around and took both of Dalla's hands in hers. "Dalla, I'm so sorry. I can't believe he did that. I don't know what possessed him to."

Dalla winced. "Well, I can't say I saw it coming…"

"This is already such a hard time." The waterworks were starting up again. "And that m-must have made it w-worse, having everyone f-find out like that..."

"We were going to have to tell people soon," Dalla admitted. "You know there's only so much you can hide under a dress."

"But it should have b-been you and L-Lux who t-told everyone, not him. Salt gods, I -." She was cut off by a sob and started bawling again.

"Kayla, stop crying."

"I-I'm s-s-sorry," Kayla said through her tears.

"No, Kayla, you need to stop crying," Dalla whispered more urgently. "Please, you're going to make me -." Her eyes went wide and it happened at the same moment Kayla realized what crying could do to a pregnant woman.

Dalla sighed. "...Lactate."

She tried to cover the soaked front of her dress with her arms but that only made it look more obvious. Kayla sniffed and tried to dry her tears. It didn't work, but at least she'd stopped audibly crying.

The two of them stood there staring at each other, not sure what to do to take care of the situation as quietly and discreetly as possible.

Before either one could come up with an idea, Hugo appeared and held out a napkin to Dalla.

"It's alright Lady Blackwell, these things happen." He said with a smirk. "Kayla can tell you how to keep it from getting on your clothes in the future."

Dalla blinked and took the napkin, too shocked and embarrassed to say a word.

"You'll need a change of clothes, of course, but everyone here understands." His smirk grew. "You're going to be a mother. Such exciting news to share. Though, maybe not like that."

Dalla turned even redder than before and shot him a hateful glare. It chilled Kayla to the bone and she knew in that moment that were Dalla not pregnant and were they not in public, she would have tackled Hugo in a screaming rage.

He gave her half a mocking nod. "Just let me know if you need something, anything at all. If you need me to take over some of your fishing voyages because you can't sail, or when you're so big you can't get out of a chair or see your own -"

 _"_ _Papa!"_ Kayla smacked him up the back of the head before she even knew what she was doing. "Stop that. It's not okay to make pregnant women cry!"

The look on her face was so like her mother but there was something about the way she said the words. Hugo stared at her, his target completely forgotten and then he whispered: "Kayla, you're not…"

"Not what, Papa?" she sighed.

"Jak's only two months old. You have to give your body a rest. Kayla, please tell me you and Emoth have been using some method to keep from -."

"Papa, I'm nursing Jak and I haven't even started back up yet. It would be impossible for me to…"

Dalla cleared her throat, reminding the Bralykburns that she was still there. "Improbable maybe, but it's not impossible."

Uh-oh. It still wasn't likely, right? Kayla changed the subject again. "It shouldn't matter either way; it's not okay to harass someone and at a wedding no less."

Papa glared at Dalla. "Aye, a wedding."

Dalla glared right back like she was holding onto some shred of dignity and Kayla suppressed the urge to tear her hair and scream. Why did these two hate each other so kriffing much?

Before she could ask Dalla crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm going to find that husband of mine, wherever he's run off to," she announced and stepped around Hugo to leave the great hall.

…

 _Be sure and stay tuned to the next few chapters in which you will see the return of favorite canon characters such as Korkie Kryze, Hondo Ohnaka, Soniee and Lagos, Commander Fox, Agent Kallus, Petro the youngling, and a special guest appearance by Maz Kanata!_


	25. The Apprentice

**THE APPRENTICE**

"So what's on Onderon?" Petro asked, leaning against the bulkhead of the pirate ship. He hoped his stance was casual enough to mask his apprehension. As far as spice went Onderon was a dry well and while Hondo didn't deal exclusively in spice, Petro didn't like the other things he dealt in.

Hondo Ohnaka was probably too drunk to notice but Petro didn't want to take the risk. "For a new business venture! Well, maybe not a new one. I delivered rockets to this planet during the Clone War." He took another swig from his cup. "Does that make this a new venture or old?"

Petro didn't answer. He knew what else was on the planet: a decently-sized Imperial presence which would be tickled pink to capture a young force-sensitive.

Hondo had kept talking: "Of course I would do _anything_ for my Onderonian friends. So when I was asked to bring supplies for this pirate, I said 'how could my crew and I refuse?'"

"Your crew left you after the Zabrak ripped your base apart," he shouldn't antagonize the pirate but he'd had enough of the overly dramatic monologues. "There's not much left besides me and Melch."

This gave Hondo a moment of pause and he looked into his cup. "There would have been more if you'd brought her."

Petro glared. He'd spent the last five years trying to forget Katooni, the one who had contacted Hondo to come pick up her and Petro and the last one of his friends to die.

"And there'd be more if I could pay more." Hondo broke gaze with his cup and turned into Petro's glare. "It would help both of us, if you'd give me -."

"I don't have the crystal," Petro snapped. "I told you, Katooni and I sold it for food."

It was a lie and Hondo knew it. But it seemed today wasn't the day he followed through on his not-so-subtle threats. "Go make sure the supplies are in order. I don't want any reason for our Onderonian friends to try and withhold payment."

Petro gladly left the cockpit for the cargo hold. He didn't bother checking the supplies, instead mentally going over anything and everything he'd ever heard about Onderon. They had only one large city right? Hopefully it was big enough for somebody to disappear.

He had to leave this crew. Hondo was getting impatient about the lightsaber crystal and the bounty for a force-sensitive would more than recoup his losses. If Petro wanted to live he needed to get out, and fast.

He crouched next to a crate so it looked like he was working instead of plotting. Maybe he could steal some of this stuff to pay his way. He checked the label. Medical supplies? Not likely. Why couldn't he have pilfered some of Hondo's spice?

This would have to do. When they landed on Onderon he'd disappear into the city.

…

Petro's plan went to hell when they touched down on a force-forsaken hunk of rock in the middle of the ocean. Credits or no he wasn't going anywhere without a ship and how was he supposed to get one of those?

He couldn't even steal their contact's. It was an old-fashioned sailing ship and Petro had never seen one before, much less know anything about sailing one. It looked like a complicated affair from the men and women he'd seen on and around the ship, flanking the one-eyed man in the richly embroidered coat.

"My friend!" Hondo strode down the boarding ramp with arms wide open. "It is a pleasure to do business with you!"

Their contact didn't flinch. "It's a necessity, Ohnaka."

"Yes, but it is still profitable." Hondo clapped an arm around the man's shoulders. "And when it's profitable, it's pleasurable."

"Business only," the man snapped and shoved off Hondo's arm. "Now where's my delivery?"

"It's being unloaded," Hondo said dismissively and looked over his shoulder. "Petro! Bring the man his delivery!"

With a roll of his eyes Petro set off to go haul the crates from the spacecraft to the sailing ship. A normal person would be out of hearing range but with a little help from the force, he could catch onto the tail end of the conversation.

"So what are you going to do with these, Murphy? Reaving, raiding? You know, if you find anything particularly valuable -."

"I don't see why you need to know," Murphy ignored Hondo in favor of scrutinizing the delivery and Hondo's men. "You brought it, I'm paying for it, end of story."

If Petro hitched a ride with Murphy there was a good chance he wouldn't rat to Hondo. The question was if he'd rat to someone worse. He didn't know how to sail; he'd be deadweight on a sailing ship. Murphy wouldn't have any reason to keep him around when he could make half a million cred forking him over to the Empire.

"Ohnaka!" Murphy's voice snapped him out of his planning. "Tell your men if they don't keep their hands off my sailor it's the last time they have hands!"

"Keep off the women," Hondo's boredom was audible. "You'll be able to afford plenty when we reach the city."

...on second thought he could at least hide out on the ship until it docked and slip off into the harbor.

Petro hauled the last crate aboard and pried open the lid. He had to squash down the medical supplies, but the lid closed with him inside.

He stayed in his crate coffin long after he heard Hondo leave and felt the ship lift anchor. It could have been hours or even a day later he prised up the lid, stretched his stiff limbs…

And nearly fell flat on his face. No one ever told him sailing ships rocked and bobbed. He'd have to get used to it. Maybe seasickness was like space sickness, where you focused on a star to ease the symptoms. He just needed to find a star.

With a little assistance from the force he shinnied up the ladder and through the hatch as silently as he could until he found himself on deck. It was still day which shot the possibility of finding a star, so he stumbled over to a pile of ...something to conceal himself and set his eyes on the horizon.

It seemed to work and when his stomach settled Petro turned his attention to the crew. They were doing something with ropes and lines. Maybe if he watched them long enough he could pick some of it up.

"What the kriff?"

A hand grabbed the back of Petro's shirt and yanked him from his hiding place.

"Who are you?" Captain Murphy demanded. "And what are you doing on my ship?"

What was he supposed to say, _I'm a force-sensitive on the run from the Empire?_ Petro didn't have time to think up a suitable answer so he blurted the first thing that came to mind: "I want to join your crew!"

Captain Murphy, and the others who had gathered after seeing the commotion, stared at him. "What?"

"I'm sick of working for Ohnaka," the plan began to take clearer form and he ran with it. "He's a terrible captain and he shorts us on our shares. Anywhere's better than with him."

"And what makes you think I'd let you join my crew? Can you even sail?" Murphy scoffed.

"I'll learn. I can work, and I can fight, I'll do whatever you want as long as I can join your crew."

What felt like an eternity later Murphy closed his eyes and sighed.

"I can't believe I'm doing this."

…

Cornel Blackwell loved the Harkon Hall shipwright's workshop. Here he could focus on his designs and the techniques Ephraim and the other masters were teaching him.

He laid out his tools on his worktable in orderly rows. Aye, it was nice and quiet here. Well, it was quiet until he started working. But the scrape and thump of his own tools didn't bother him like most loud noises did. These he could control, and he could feel the rhythm of their usefulness.

He was thankful for Momma and Dad sending him here for his apprenticeship. Of course he missed them and Arkon and Lana, but he had gotten to go home and spend salt and light with everyone.

Cornel had hoped that he might be able to come back to Harkon Hall after the holidays and spend the freeze working on new designs. That hadn't worked out but at least he got to be at the Hold when his nephew was born. Kayla and Emoth let him hold little Jak and show him the mobil he had built.

And then the Harkons brought him back to the Hall with them after they attended Kora and Cade's wedding at the Hold.

Cornel wondered if he would ever get married and have a family of his own. Not likely. What girl would ever give him the time of day?

Suddenly he heard a giggle and two flashes of bright red hair. From their hiding place, crouched behind the worktable situated next to his own, Maia and Fiona looked up at him with their mischievous green eyes. Maia pressed her finger to her lips to beg his silence.

Cornel liked the twins. They reminded him of his own little sister. He couldn't help but smile as he ducked down and whispered, "Who are you hiding from?"

"Pirates!" Fiona burst out with another giggle and was shushed happily by her twin.

"I thought you liked playing pirates?" He asked wondering if this was part of the game.

The girls looked at each other and then Maia explained, "Aye, but these are real pirates!" Her eyes shown with excitement.

"Maia wants to run away and join them like Sanya in the stories!" Fiona looked at her twin with awe.

Maia grinned. "Well, maybe, someday."

All three of them heard the sound of footsteps and voices coming in their direction.

Maia tugged on Cornel's work apron. "Don't tell them we're here!" she implored.

"I won't." He also pressed a finger to his lips and then stood up once again behind his worktable.

Cornel had a feeling that whoever it was probably wouldn't even notice that he was there. People rarely did. Maybe they thought that since he didn't talk much that he couldn't hear either. They did often speak as if he wasn't in the room, even if they did know.

The two men did indeed enter the workshop deep in their own conversation and only barely glanced in Cornel's direction when the little girls squealed, broke cover from their hiding place, and ran off to find another.

"... Only seventeen and already pregnant with her second," Ephraim picked up where he had left off in his conversation with his guest.

He must have been talking about Kayla. And then he confirmed the hypothesis, "We'll be heading down to the Hold in a couple of weeks for another visit. Talia wants to be there when Jak is baptized on the summer solstice."

Ephraim was watching the other man for a reaction to the news but the guest just took off his flamboyant coat and laid it aside on one other work tables.

"So they chose you and Tal as godparents?" The man asked. His face was turned away but Cornel still thought there was something familiar about the 'pirate'.

"No!" Ephraim chuckled. "Her twin Kora and Dalla's little brother Cade! I don't have tell you Hugo's kriffing fumed about that."

The corner of the man's mouth twitched. He started to say something stopped himself and then just blurted it out, "How is Dalla? Is that… Is he treating her right?"

"From what we've heard she and the babe are healthy," Ephraim assured him with a smile. "She's staying close to the Hold, not taking any chances, and from all accounts she and Lux are… happy."

The man's shoulders relaxed a little and he turned slightly so that Cornel could see more of his face as he nodded with relief.

Ephraim clapped him on the shoulder saying, "if you were still alive they might have made you godfather."

The man who had a patch over one eye shook his head with a laugh. "No, not me. I'm not religious enough for..."

Suddenly Cornel realized who this guy was! "I remember you! You came to the Hold on Dalla's fourteenth birthday!"

 _Cornel had run out of the Hold to chase a gull when he came upon the young man throwing pebbles at Dalla's bedroom window._

 _"_ _Open the window Dal!" He shouted between throws. "I know you're in there!"_

 _Cornel stopped and stared at him, the gull forgotten. Dalla was in her bedroom; she'd barely left it since she got home from the wreck at sea. Momma told Kason and Emoth it was because Dalla was very sad and because she was hurt. Cornel liked to be somewhere quiet when he was hurt too. Maybe Dalla was covering her ears to block the sound of the stones and the yelling._

 _The man noticed him then and stopped throwing stones. "She won't answer her comms."_

 _Cornel stared._

 _"_ _Don't you talk, kid?"_

 _Cornel stared some more._

 _"_ _That's kind of creepy, y'know."_

 _"_ _Cornel!" Before he could say something else Shara came around the corner and scooped him up. "Cornel, you need to wait for Momma. Thank you for finding him, Sloan."_

 _"_ _I didn't find him," Sloan shrugged. "I came to talk to Dalla. Wish her happy birthday and … well ma'am, I'm worried about her."_

 _Shara nodded confirmation. "We're having a little party for Dalla in an hour or so. She didn't want to do anything so it won't be much, just cake and presents. Would you like to come? Maybe having you there would cheer her up."_

 _"_ _Consider me there, ma'am."_

 _Looking back now Cornel wished he hadn't shown up. When he arrived at the party and said hello to Dalla Sloan was loud and boisterous, trying to brighten the mood. He told bad jokes and tried to sing Dalla's favorite sea shanty about the mollymauks, but she excused herself and didn't come back. That didn't discourage Sloan, who kept carrying on so the party would be fun when she returned._

 _Cornel covered his ears and left get away from the noise and after a while he turned a corner and found Dalla curled up against the wall crying._

 _He watched her silently, her hands folded over her just-starting-to-heal face, until she looked up to wipe her nose and saw him._

 _"_ _If Aunt Shara sent you to get me, tell her to cut the cake without me." She sniffed. "It's not right to have a party without Mom. I just want to go to sleep. Maybe -."_

 _"_ _There you are!" Just then Sloan rounded the corner and found the both of them. "I was lookin' for you everywhere."_

 _"_ _You found us." Dalla tried to wipe her tears._

 _"_ _I got you a present," Sloan sat beside her and pulled a vial of pink nail varnish from his pocket. "The whores helped me pick it out. Whaddya think?"_

 _"_ _Thanks." Dalla took the varnish and then tears welled in her eyes. "I don't know if it'll help though. No one's going to look at my hands."_

 _"_ _Hey, hey!" He wrapped an arm around her shoulder as if to impart some great wisdom. "Now a pirate may have stabbed out my eye, and a lifeboat may have smashed in your nose, but does that make us any less attractive to the opposite sex?"_

 _"_ _Aye," she said sullenly._

"No, _it doesn't. It makes us better. You know I'm a bit of an expert in women, and I'd much rather spend my time with a woman who has a few scratches and dents than one of those airbrush holomodel types. They're better because they're real. The models are like trying to kiss a holo."_

 _Dalla snorted with a laugh and Sloan went on, encouraged by her response. "So I don't have an eye, and you have a busted nose, and your cousin's brain is a little scrambled -."_

 _"_ _Sloan!" Shara rapped out in a voice far sharper than usual, having just arrived. "I think it's time for you to leave."_

And he had. Sloan had run straight for the pub. Aye, he remembered that event as well. Well, he remembered his captain finally seeing fit to leave the Hold and waking him up the next morning with a bucket of water over his head. He had been so happy she'd been rousted out of her funk he almost didn't mind the rude awakening.

He had never set foot in the Hold again after that day however and he never could. He took ahold of Cornel's shoulder. "You can't tell anyone! Dalla can't find out I'm still alive!"

Ephraim looked back and forth between them. "You've met my apprentice?"

"Aye." Sloan released the young man and took a step back.

"He's loyal to house Harkon of course he won't say anything." Ephraim assured his friend, patting Cornel on the back. "Cornel here's turning out to be a wonderful shipwright with his natural talent and focus on his lessons."

Cornel nodded but didn't speak and Sloan grudgingly accepted the word of his friend.

"Aye, I hope things work out as well with my new recruit as well."


	26. What Happens on Takodana

**WHAT HAPPENS ON TAKODANA STAYS ON TAKODANA**

Soniee set down on the lush green surface of the planet and checked what messages she had missed while she was in hyperspace. There was only one, from her operative in Iziz. Myat didn't even know the identity of the agent she reported to and she couldn't have known the joy that the short missive brought to her old friend. One of the togruta sisters she had been sent for a short mission had returned to Iziz to continue in the work with her new husband Kason Blackwell. The other sister had stayed on the planet as well even though she wasn't working directly with the Onderon Rebel cell.

Soniee couldn't be happier for the boy who had once had a crush on her even if she could never openly offer her congratulations to the couple. Perhaps the Blackwell link could lead to other opportunities… But she couldn't even let her mind travel down that hyperspace lane. It would mean putting her friends in danger. It was better if they never knew of her connection to the secret organization and her work against the Empire. Lux and Dalla knew she was alive. That was dangerous enough.

Well, today she didn't have to be Fulcrum. She didn't have to be Soniee Ordo or Sanya Kira or Dara Rash-Bonteri. As she looked up at the myriad of banners representing peoples and species of every corner of the galaxy, she relished the fact that here she didn't have to be anyone. At Maz's castle everyone was welcome, and the mistress had only one rule: no fighting. That was fine. It was the fighting she wanted to leave behind for a few precious hours. That and the celebrations.

But that was too much to ask. Even here, holoscreens all around the bar's dining room carried images of the Empire Day festivities. At least the sound had been turned down and there was a band pounding away in the corner. She supposed they had to at least seem to be participating though very few beings were paying attention.

Soniee made her way to the bar and pointed to order a drink she couldn't pronounce the name of. It arrived purple and steaming slightly. It stung her mouth but had a pleasant, sweet aftertaste, and by the time the first sip reached her stomach she was already feeling more relaxed.

After finishing one glass and starting the next she might have answered to anything but when she heard a familiar male voice say, "Dara?" she looked up before she thought better of it.

"Sssandr," she slurred slightly and then blinked to steady the image of the ginger haired man in her vision. She didn't think she was that drunk yet but the whatever it was called must have been stronger than she thought.

Agent Alexsandr Kallus sat down on the stool next to her. "I thought you were dead."

"It's a common misconception." She nodded and then turned to the bartender and asked for something a little more watered down. He didn't mind as long as she was paying full price for the drink she didn't finish and she would last longer to order more.

Kallus ordered a Corellian whiskey and inquired further. "The explosion in the tunnels under Iziz?"

"What can I say? I survived." She shook her head. "It was high time for me to move on anyway."

She took a sip of her less potent beverage but noticed that Sandr didn't lift his glass again. He was just staring at her. "What?" she asked self consciously.

He laughed into his cup. "I just still can't believe you're alive and here." He smiled at her. "It's good to see you."

Being totally honest with herself she smiled back at him. "It's good to see you, too."

He took a swig, winced as it went down hot, and shook his head. "I really needed to see a friendly face after that last mission."

Her ears perked up both as a friend and as an agent for an organization diametrically opposed to the one this man swore loyalty to. She'd be honor bound to use any information he might accidentally reveal to her. And he'd have no idea that he was supplying fuel to the rebellion. She almost felt sorry for him. But then he was smarter than that. He knew she'd been friends with Saw Gerrera and that her supposed death had occurred not long after Saw left Onderon and went rogue.

Manda! She didn't want to have to make these ethical decisions right now! She had only come into the place to relax.

"Oh?" she said, noncommittally. She was only offering to listen if he was willing to divulge.

"I suppose it doesn't matter saying it now." He mumbled. He knew she of all people could be a security risk but he just had get it off his chest. "We killed them all."

She nearly spit out her mouthful of drink. "Excuse me?"

"The last mission on Lasan." He hung his head. "It was slaughter."

Lasan? She had never heard of the place. Or had she? Lasan was the home of the Lasat, the people of Saw's friend, Zalyanov Skimanos. She knew Agent Kallus had reason to hate Zal but surely he wouldn't do something like this out of revenge.

"Testing a new deactivator weapon." he gave a horse laugh and took another gulp of his drink. "We were ordered to…"

Was the Empire legalizing deactivators for their troopers? Part of her wanted to run out to her ship and send a message to her own superiors.

"I'm sorry." He reached out and took her hand. "I shouldn't burden you with this."

"I'm sorry you had to witness something so terrible," she offered with what was hopefully a compassionate smile. She thought of the clones who had to murder their Jedi friends and generals because they were following orders and compelled by a chip in their heads. It hadn't been their fault and she decided to believe that Sandr hadn't done this thing of his own free will either.

"We'll talk about something else." He noticed that his glass was empty and signaled to the bar keeper for a refill. He glanced at her beverage as well to make sure that she was topped off. Then he picked up both their drinks and stood. "Come on. We'll find a booth where we can be more comfortable."

"Alright." She agreed and followed. She didn't have anything better to do and it wasn't as if his company was unwanted at least for now.

He found an out of the way table and raised his eyebrows in question. When she nodded, he set down her drink on one side and slid onto the bench on the other. She took the place across from him.

"There. That's much better." He smiled. He raised his glass and she copied the motion. "To Empire Day." The holiday had given him the day off but he'd forgotten it held a more somber meaning for her.

She hesitated before she set get glass back down on the table top untasted.

"Dara, I… again I apologise. I know you said how hard this day was for you."

"It's okay. It was a long time ago." She let her gaze wonder to one of the holoscreens showing the scenes of the celebrations throughout the Galaxy. Some of them looked like fun. She almost wished she could be a part of the festivities.

And then the screen she was watching picked up the feed of a familiar dark haired gentleman and his queenly wife and between them a little girl about nine years old, exactly nine years old today, waving to the crowd and pointing up at the fireworks blasting in brilliant colors in the Alderaanian night sky.

Sandr turned his head to follow her gaze and saw the child in the holo and then remembering the prevailing cover story he asked gently, "You said it nearly killed you."

Soniee played along. That part was close enough to the truth. Maybe it was the alcohol that made her tongue so loose. "I was unconscious for I don't know how long. And when I woke up it was already over. I never even got to…" She choked back a very real sob. It had been a long time since she'd let herself think if it, of Oron. But whenever this date fell on the galactic standard calendar it was always hard.

She didn't realize at first that Sandr had once again taken hold of her hand. "I know that was hard on you." Was he reading her mind? "Gods, I can't imagine how hard. But perhaps someday you'll have a second chance. Whatever health issue… it may have worked itself out. Or there are better doctors who could see you through the next… I know Bonteri is married now." he didn't bring up the fact that he was supposedly her brother. He also didn't mention Saw Gerrera. "Perhaps there is someone else out there in the galaxy with whom you could share that joy?"

"Maybe." She nodded, extracting her hand to pull a flimsi napkin from the dispenser on the table and used it to blow her nose. Korkie was out there somewhere. She wondered if he would mind if she expressed the interest to try again to have a family.

The holoscreen had moved on to show images of celebrations elsewhere in the galaxy. Surely they wouldn't show Onderon. Though it would be nice to see Lux and Dalla again, the future king and queen, wardens of her kingdom…

The band had picked up a more upbeat tune. It was a popular dance song a few years back. Soniee might have even danced to it on Coruscant with Lux or with Fox. She smiled at the memory and her fingers began to tap out the rhythm on the table top.

Sandr grasped at the chance to cheer her up. He stood he gave her a slight, formal bow and then held out his hand to her. "Would you care for a dance?"

"I…" she couldn't think of a single reason to refuse. "I'd love to."

So he led her out to the dance floor. Manda it had been so long since she felt this free! After a couple of dances she felt thirsty and he bought her another drink. They talked about anything that wasn't related to the Empire or her past or his blasted missions. They had fun like any couple who had hope for the future.

"... So there is opportunity for advancement." He was telling her after a few more drinks and a lot more dancing. "And with the breeding initiative I'll be able to provide more than I ever thought possible."

"The what?" Soniee laughed. She must have heard him wrong but then she was rather drunk by now and she was leaning on his shoulder in a way that might have muffled the sound in one ear. Not to mention the band was still playing loudly.

"The breeding initiative. Have you not heard of it?"

She shook her head.

So he explained. "Human couples who are loyal to the Empire and produce offspring who they in turn raise up to be loyal Imperial citizens are rewarded with um…" he tried to remember. "Tax breaks, a living allowance, acceptance into all the best schools."

"The Empire is rewarding humans for having babies?" She knew the current government was somewhat speciesist but this was a new turn.

"Yes." He pulled her over to an alcove where it was quieter and they could speak without yelling over the music. "And not only that. If someone had a record of being… less than loyal to the Empire in the past, participating in the program might… erase those old wrongs."

He was talking about himself. Did Agent Alexsandr Kallus have something on his record that he wanted to have blotted out?

"After Lasan." He whispered to her in confidence. "I said some things, made some comments that were passed up the line of command. My loyalty to the cause was thrown under suspicion."

"You believe that if you have a child it might…"

"If _we_ have a child." He took one of her hands in both of his. And she was almost afraid he might drop to one knee. "Your loyalty would never be questioned either. All memory of your name ever having been spoken in the same… system as Saw Gerrera will be forgotten."

"Sandr… I… " she scrambled wildly for a response.

"I thought I would have to search the Galaxy for someone I might be content to perform this duty with but… Dara, finding you here! You must have known that even back on Onderon I had already developed feelings for you. And I thought you had died. A-and now…" He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her hard on the mouth. In his passion and drunken ardor he backed her up to the wall and pressed his body against hers.

He wanted her, he was a strong military trained young man, and he was not in the state of mind to listen to reason. She wouldn't be able to get out of this without using her powers. She didn't really want to hurt him but in her own inebriated state she didn't know if she possessed the control not to.

She made a sound to try to tell him to stop but he only pulled her closer and so she went with the only option she had left. She shoved him away from herself with the Force. He flew across the hall and hit the opposite wall hard. She heard his head thud against the stone and then his body went limp and crumbled to the floor in a heap.

"Oh Manda!" She rushed to his side. She didn't feel the life go out of him in the Force. She was fairly sure he was only unconscious and a quick check of his pulse confirmed this.

Then she heard footsteps approaching. Soniee looked up into the round, magnified eyes of Maz Kanata.

"H-he's alive," Soniee hurried to explain to the queen of the castle. "I-I didn't mean to."

Maz adjusted one of the lenses on her goggles and peered into Soniee's eyes. "I think it's about time for you to go."

Maz was throwing her out? "I know about your no fighting rule. That's not what this was at all."

"No no." Maz placed a hand on her shoulder kindly. "Defending yourself from an overly amorous admirer has never been against the rules." She looked down the hall and back at Soniee. "But if your method of defense puts you in danger of the inquisitors finding out what you are…"

She was giving Soniee time to escape. "I don't know how I could ever repay you."

"You just get yourself somewhere safe. And may the Force be with you."


	27. Meanwhile on Mandalore: Empire Day

**MEANWHILE ON MANDALORE: EMPIRE DAY**

Fox curled into fetal position on the mattress and covered his head with his arms. It was supposed to be a celebration. Though it hardly was one when you knew truth. Most of the Galaxy didn't however, they didn't understand. Whether or not you held with the belief that the Empire and its formation had saved them all from the chaos that was the old republic, the repeating blasts of the exploding fireworks were still too familiar to the retired soldier.

He gritted his teeth. It was ingrained in him from his earliest memories on Kamino. When he heard explosions like that it meant he was under attack, he and his brothers and the Republic. And now years later he had even more at stake. Fox didn't know what he would do if his wife was in danger or their son and daughter. Well he did know. He would lay down his life for Lagos and Tracen and Veeka. They were his life.

But this was not an attack. It was just some _di'kutla_ fireworks meant to celebrate the formation of the kriffing Empire that was the antithesis of everything he had ever fought for!

He cried out in his frustration and distress. A grown man reduced to weeping in his bed because of some loud sounds and colored lights in the sky.

Lagos rushed to his side and wrapped her arms around him. " _Kuur, Cyar'ika_. We're all here. You're just fine."

But she was feeling the effects as well. She had fought as one of Bo Katan's nite owls during the siege of Mandalore and in the battles leading up to it. She had experienced the fighter beside her being blown away while she lived to fight another day. She understood her husband's desire to charge up the old DC15s and blast the enemy every time one of those blooms lit up the sky. She also knew that for him it must be one hundred times worse having trained for battle since childhood.

Lagos had grown up in relative peace on Kalevala with her parents and uncle and then at ten she had begun to study at the Royal Academy of Government. She and her fellow cadets were trained for diplomacy, not war.

She continued to sooth her husband, singing a song that was still interspersed with the booms and cheers from outside. He whimpered everytime the blasts or crackles split the night.

"Here let's try this." A voice of reason spoke softly into the charged air of their bedroom. Korkie Kryze came quietly into the room carrying a _buy'ce_ in his hand. He showed Lagos how he had set the controls to block out the outside sound. The inside was set for soothing music something like the lullaby she'd just been singing.

Together they helped Fox put on the helmet and they watched as the tension went from his muscular frame. If that hadn't worked, Korkie also had a stim in his back pocket that would have put his friend out for a few hours. Hopefully by then the celebrations would be over and they could all get some rest.

"Thank you." Lagos breathed a sigh of relief and then tensed again as another crackle of fireworks was let off in the street in front of their house.

"Do you want me to set up a _buy'ce_ for you as well?" Korkie asked.

"No." She shook her head. "I'll suck it up. I promised Trace and Veeka that we could go out to the food vendors and get a treat." Again she flinched and Fox's hand reached out to hold her close to him.

"Why don't you stay here with him," Korkie suggested. "I'll take the kids out for a look around, not for more than an hour or so, and then bring them back in time to get their teeth brushed and into bed. How does that sound?"

Lagos looked at her husband on the bed and back at their friend. "It really would be a relief if I didn't have to go out there. I can't promise I wouldn't shoot something myself. Are you sure you'll be alright with the two of them? Tell them they need to hold hands so they don't get lost in the crowd and I want them to wear their _Beskar'gam_ and only one treat each. There are some credits in the jar on the table and…" Another boom from outside made her shut her eyes and squeeze Fox's hand. "They'll be alright with you. I know."

"We'll be back in less than an hour. I promise."

She nodded and spooned in beside her husband taking comfort in his warmth and security. She had a feeling that having someone to protect also made him feel more at home.

…

A few minutes later Korkie Kryze that is Lor San Tekka and his niece and nephew Tracen and Veeka Jerec were all donned in their full iron skin and prepared to hit the town.

Korkie was trying not to think about what day it was and just have fun with the kids. He took a measure of pride in the fact that they called him Uncle Kork. He loved them as his very own and through them he got a little taste of what it might have been like to walk his own son through a festival atmosphere like this.

He wouldn't have been able to stop at just buying Oron one treat at the sweet stand. He might have bought Veeka and Trace three each. And he was sure he would have paid for try after try of the games until his son won whatever cheap stuffed toy that was on display. Veeka and Tracen had their arms full of the trinkets after a very short time. Or rather Uncle Kork had his arms full. His niece and nephew needed their hands free for each new experience.

"Oh I want to race boats, Uncle Kork!" Veeka jumped up and down pointing. She pulled on his gauntlet nearly up ending everything he was holding.

"Sure, elek." He didn't dare tell either of them that his feet were getting tired. "Does it cost anything?"

"Just for the kit to make the boat." Trace informed him holding out a hand for the credits.

They bought their kits and found a place at the table to set down their other prizes and assemble the little wooden boats with flimsi sails. Veeka wanted hers painted pink but Tracen didn't care what color his was. He just wanted to get to the races.

Korkie smiled at the kids building their little sailboats. He thought of how they would probably like to see the Blackwell's real ships on Onderon. Maybe someday he would take them there. Soniee would have liked that too.

While he was imagining it, Korkie lost track of Tracen for a moment. "Veeka, where's your brother?"

"I don't know." She shrugged, still happily painting.

He stood to look over the heads of the other boat builders and dialed up the dedicated comm ID on the boy's _buy'ce_. He heard a chime and spun around, horrified to see the helmet lying on the table next to the spot where Tracen had been working a moment before. Panic flooded through him.

Then he heard a familiar voice calling to him from the racing lanes. "Uncle Kork, come watch me!"

He breathed a sigh of relief and put a hand on Veeka's shoulder to make sure that she was still with him. "I can see you from here." How had he missed the instruction where they had to remove their helmets for the race to blow on the sails through a drinking straw?

Tracen was winning his race when Veeka distracted his attention from its conclusion.

"Okay I'm ready!" She grinned with paint covering her gloves and the front of her armor. She removed her own helmet and left Uncle Kork with both _buy'ces_ and everything else to carry while she ran off to join her brother.

By the time he gathered everything while still trying to keep an eye on them both, Tracen had already received his prize and Veeka was in tears because her boat had fallen apart having still been wet with all that paint.

Korkie was on the point of buying her a brand new boat when Tracen mollified the situation. "It was still the prettiest boat out there. Wasn't it, Uncle Kork?"

"Of course it was, Veeka. I even got a holo of it." Korkie had managed to snap a still with his helmet cam of the little girl smiling with her boat before she ran off.

She dried her eyes and put her _buy'ce_ back on so she could see the holo he sent to her. "Thanks, Uncle Kork."

"Of course, _Ad'ika_. What would the two of you like to do next? Getting tired yet?"

"Not in the slightest." Tracen grinned as he put his own helmet back onto his head and handed Uncle Kork his most recent prize and his boat that he was keeping for a souvenir.

They were walking down the street looking for the next adventure when they past a pub that was playing footage of the Empire Day celebrations from all around the Galaxy. Veeka pointed out the scene that showed the royal family of Alderaan. "It's the little princess's birthday!"

Trace wondered, "Why do you call her little? She's older than you."

"She's younger than you." Veeka observed. "Hey Trace you could marry her when you grow up and then you'd get to be a king."

"First of all," Her brother counted off on his fingers. "I wouldn't be a king I'd be a prince consort or something, whatever it is that senator Organa is. And two, princesses don't marry commoners anyway do they, Uncle Kork?"

He looked up at his uncle to see the man's visor staring sadly at the screen.

Tracen whispered to his sister, "'Sides it's Cousin Oron's birthday today too so let's just not talk about it."

"Oh…" she realized. Uncle Korkie didn't always like to talk about the baby he had lost or about Aunt Soniee but momma had explained a little of what had happened to them. Of course he would be sad today.

Veeka went and took Uncle Korkie's hand in hers. "I'm sorry Cousin Oron couldn't be with us today."

Korkie bent down to her eye level. "I'm sure he would have loved to spend his birthday with his cousins."

He rearranged all of their toys and trinkets into bundles so that each of them could share in the load and then took each of their hands. Then they continued on till a man in an Imperial uniform stopped them in their tracks.

"Well isn't this a fine sight, a _buir_ , isn't that the right word and his young _ad'ike_ taking in the sights together."

"He's our uncle." Trace corrected.

"Ah, maybe that explains it." The man clasped his hands together as if with a great revelation. "You must be here visiting your uncle from some other city?"

"N-no." Veeka shook her head. "We're from right over…"

"I'm sorry," Korkie addressed the man directly. "Is there some reason for the… interest?"

"I am the one who is sorry." The imperial put his hand over his heart and gave them the slightest manageable bow. "I am the commandant of the academy and I was certain I knew all the children from this area who were of the proper age to attend."

"What is the proper age to attend?" Korkie asked holding the hands of his two charges a little tighter.

The man puffed up as if it were a matter of honor. "We accept all children regardless of background at age ten."

"Well that would explain it. My niece and nephew are tall for their age." Korkie tried to keep his voice even and unperturbed.

"I'll be ten soon!" Tracen added excitedly.

"You see," the man smiled almost victoriously. "I knew that it wouldn't be long till one or both of you could come and join us in our temple of learning."

Korkie didn't like the turn of phrase. "That will be for their parents to decide. The academy isn't the only school. I think they might already have something else in mind."

"Shouldn't this young man and his sister also have some say in the direction of their future?" the man raised his hands in innocent supplication. "It really is the best school in the area with the highest success rate of employment placement for our graduates."

"Well, like I said," Korkie began to pull the two children away from the man. "You'd have to discuss it with their mother and _buir_."

"Oh, don't think I won't." The imperial called after them.

Korkie took the children on a more circuitous way home to be sure they weren't being followed.

"I think I'd like to go to school." Tracen half complained as they hurried along.

Korkie looked back over his shoulder. "Normally I'd think that was a great idea, Trace, but not the one that man was talking about."

"Is it because of _buir_?" Veeka asked with more insight than a child her age ought to possess. It was true that one look at the former Commander Fox and the commandant of the school would know he was a Fett clone.

Veeka and Tracen might not understand all that but they did know that there were times their father didn't show is face in public. Korkie was glad that the man hadn't seen Veeka's dark hair and eyes that we so unlike her brother's and yet very much like the millions of soldiers who had once been the protectors of the Republic. It reminded him of how Soniee had always stood out among all the blondes at their academy.

"Your _buir_ is one of the smartest men I know, _ad'ika_." Korkie told her while they continued to walk. The house was in sight now and they didn't seem to have anyone on their tail. "He'll decide the best place for you and your brother to get a fine education."

"I like having Momma for our teacher and _buir_ to help her." Veeka challenged her brother to disagree with her.

"'Lek," Tracen shrugged. "I guess I do too." Then he let go of Uncle Korkie's hand and challenged her back. "Race you to show momma our things."

She also unclasped her hand from her uncle's and ran. "You know I'm faster!"

Korkie also had a few things to tell Fox and Lagos. He hoped they had gotten rested up in the time he had given them alone. They would need to be for the trials that were coming.

...

She had drifted off to sleep in her husband's arms. She didn't resort to putting on her own helmet. Sleeping in the thing always gave her a wicked crick in the neck. It was one thing for Fox who had practically grown up wearing the thing but Lagos would rather have a down pillow or her husband's chest to curl up on.

She also wanted to be able to hear when Korkie came back with the kids. They'd be alright she told herself before she had given in to the comfort and security of her own bed and a much needed rest.

Still she had developed the sleep habits of a mother since becoming one and as soon as the door unlatched she was wide awake. She didn't know how that worked exactly, no mother did, but it did all the same. Anytime her babies needed her, she was on alert and even if exhausted and not always happy about it, she was ready to do whatever was necessary.

She heard the door open and her children's voices and the sound of thunks as their _buy'ces_ were being placed on the entry table along with various pieces of armor. She thought she could even discern that they were breathing heavily as if they had run part of the way.

Korkie hushed them so that they wouldn't disturb their resting parents but there was something in his voice. Something had happened while they were out, she was almost sure, and Korkie would want to discuss whatever it was as soon as possible.

It was almost like a Jedi sixth sense, this motherhood instinct, but that wasn't what woke Fox. He must have felt her sit up and prepare to leave the bed.

"Is it morning?" he mumbled. Then he removed the helmet and sat up beside her. With just a quick roll of his neck he was ready for action as well. Sometimes she envied him his years of preparedness training. Mostly though, she didn't.

"Korkie just brought the kids home," She told him, and looked her husband over for any sign that the distress of earlier had lingered after his nap.

He smiled at her constant concern. "Did they have fun?"

"I don't know. Should we go and ask?"

He was like a kid himself even with the gray in his hair and he hopped up immediately at the prospect of hearing his children's stories of their adventures. He would have been out there with them if the situation had been different. They were both glad of Korkie to play the doting uncle as often as he could.

Fox held out a hand to help her to her feet but he stood between she and the door. Before he would let her pass, he ran his fingers through her blonde hair and then kissed her deeply. They could return to the bed, spend another happy hour or so while Uncle Korkie was still watching over the kids.

They both smiled at their mutual desire and the unspoken promise to take a rain check on that particular event.

"Let's go see just how badly Uncle Korkie ruined their supper."

They walked down the stairs hand in hand and as soon as they were noticed were inundated with, "Momma you should have seen…" and " _Buir_ , Uncle Kork let us…" and "Guess what we saw!" and "Look what I got!"

Over their heads, Lagos could see in Korkie's face that her assumption had been correct. While Fox listened avidly to their every description. Lagos went to her own childhood friend. "What happened?" she asked him.

Korkie looked in the direction Fox had gone with the children.

"It's alright. I'll fill him in. Go ahead and tell me."

Korkie nodded, wondering where to start. "A recruiter for the Imperial academy stopped us on our way back."

"We've known this was coming for a while now."

"He noticed that they were about the right age and first thought they'd come to visit me from some other city since he didn't remember seeing them up at the school."

"Of course he hasn't." She huffed. "We've kept them as far from that place as possible."

"I don't think he saw them without their helmets." Korkie lowered his voice. "They couldn't know about…"

"That my daughter has beautiful dark hair and a Fett chin? She didn't take off her helmet did she?"

"Just for a little while." Korkie admitted. "It was for a game they played. I didn't realise they had to until they had already built their boats and…"

"It's alright." She patted his arm. "There are plenty of war orphans running around about her age. Anyone would probably just think she was one of those." How could anyone know that Lagos had fallen in love with a clone during a series of holocomms before they had ever even met, that they had married and that their daughter was the lawful one. It was her blond haired, blue eyed perfect Mandalorian boy who was the bastard.

And it was her AWOL clone trooper husband who had been the best _buir_ that boy could ask for. She looked into the kitchen where Fox was watching while Veeka and Tracen laid out their treats and prizes all over the table for him to see. He exclaimed over everything and the accompanying stories exactly the way they had hoped he would.

She turned back to Korkie and tried to keep her voice light even though what he had told her already was deeply disturbing. "So this guy really thought Veek and Trace were old enough for the academy?"

"They are tall for their age. And they're accepting children at ten. Tracen will be ten in a few months." Did he think she wasn't taking this seriously? Manda! If she took it any more seriously she'd drive herself insane with worry.

Lagos sat down. "We were ten when we entered the Royal Academy. Remember?"

"I do." He was thinking of her again. That was plain as day. "You and me and Amos and… Soniee. I always imagined that… the next generation would attend there as well."

Oron would have been enrolled next year. She imagined Soniee and Amos standing beside the two of them sending their boys off to learn about government and diplomacy.

What would Tracen learn if she and Fox allowed the Empire to get their hands on him and brainwash him into one of their own? They had to take action if they wanted to keep that from happening. "Did the recruiter say what he planned on doing to get Veeka and Tracen enrolled in his school?" She wondered if there was a danger of the Empire trying to put her children into their educational system by force.

"He said he wanted to speak to their parents. He didn't give any details beyond that."

She nodded seriously. "They'll do their research. They'll find out where a couple of children live who aren't quite old enough for school and they'll be knocking on our door in a day or two. I doubt they'd look into it on a holiday, but it won't take them long." She chewed on her thumbnail.

Fox came to join them and wrapped an arm around her waist. In his other hand was a hard candy on a stick. The mercenaries must have bribed him for another sweet of their own or else he'd swiped it from the pile for the good of their dental hygiene and the detriment of his own. "Is everything okay? Well obviously something's going on or you two wouldn't have those looks on your faces."

Lagos frowned at the sucker as if he was also one of her children.

"What?" He spoke with his mouth full and the stick protruding from between his lips. "I sent them to brush their teeth and get into bed. I said I'd be up to check on them in a few minutes."

She shook her head. "Better be done with that before you get up there."

He took the stick out of his mouth and brandished it like a vibroblade. "This is my chrono. I told them they better be done before it's all gone."

"You're as ridiculous as they are."

"I do try." He gave her a sticky kiss on her cheek and then attempted to be serious while she wiped the stickiness off her face. "So what is it?"

"The Imperial academy has decided they're two students short." Lagos filled him in on the most important point.

"Did Korkie tell them our kids are complete _di'kuts_ and would bring down their testing average just by walking in the door?" he suggested.

" _Al'verde_ Fox Jerec!" She said it like a mother pronouncing his full name. "You are not being helpful."

"I know." He pulled her closer to his side. "I know they're getting to that age and we're going to have to do something about keeping them out of the kriffers' hands."

What would Soniee have done if they wanted to take Oron away from her and fill his mind with all the evil propaganda in the Galaxy. She would have blasted them all and run away with him. That's what she would have done. Where was she now? Manda! They could sure use her help!

Lagos looked at Fox and he looked back at her as if they were thinking the same thing. And then it was Korkie who spoke. "I wish Soniee were here. She'd know what to do."

"Have you heard from her recently?" Lagos asked carefully. "She does sort of check in regularly, doesn't she, just to let you know she's still alright?"

"Not in a… few months." Korkie sighed. "I think she was on a more delicate mission, or else she believed I was. It was too much of a risk to make contact."

"Sounds like you're about due for a comm, then." Fox smiled encouragingly. "Or a whatever it is she sends."

Lagos gave him a poke with her elbow.

"Maybe you're right." Korkie nodded. "In the meantime we should decide what we're going to tell that commandant when he comes."


	28. The Story

**THE STORY**

 _Lux's Sister and Duchess Kenobi would like to offer our humblest apologies for making a small error in the timeline in the last couple of chapters. The formation of the Empire was 8 years before the current events of the story not 9 as previously stated. Which means that Oron Kryze would have just celebrated his 8th birthday (along with those other famous separated at birth twins) Lagos's son, Tracen (by Amis) is 8 ½ years old. Lagos and Fox's daughter, Veeka, is 7. The Empire must be going after them younger than 10. So Lux and Dalla will have that to deal with sooner than they'd like with their little one. And speaking of Lux and Dalla's little one…_ **  
**

All of these lines across my face

Tell you the story of who I am

So many stories of where I've been

And how I got to where I am

But these stories don't mean anything

When you've got no one to tell them to

It's true, I was made for you

Oh because even when I was flat broke

You made me feel like a million bucks

You do

And I was made for you.

…

Lux leaned back on the couch and marked another day off on his secret "Days until you're going to be a father" calendar. He'd set it up the day after Niamh had set Dalla's due date and plugged in all the midwife appointments, major milestones, and of course the big day.

Wasn't it mothers who usually did all the recording? Lux didn't care. He liked doing all this; it helped him feel like he was a part of this pregnancy. Well, he guessed he was already, but Dalla was the one with the baby in her belly after all.

He closed the calendar on the datapad and opened his personal favorite document: the baby names list. There was a whole column of boy names which they'd crossed out when the midwife announced they were having a daughter. Unfortunately, baby names were also the source of his and Dalla's biggest argument. They drew more tears than the time he in an attempt to speak Onderonian mixed up _tre coi_ with _polcoi_ and accidentally called his poor pregnant wife a whore.

He was getting a headache just thinking about it, which was why he closed out of the baby names list as soon as Dalla waddled into their room.

"Turned in early?"

"I did. How are you feeling?"

"Alright, for a Brylk," she rubbed her big belly and sat down next to him. "What are you working on?"

"Just some things for the baby."

"Like what?"

Lux wasn't in the mood for another battle over names so he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Godparents. I was going to make a list of potential godparents."

Dalla sighed. "I haven't even thought about godparents."

Lux knew better than to mention that time was a-ticking on that one. "We can think of them now. There's the Harkons, or the Tandins. We could even have your aunt and uncle if we wanted."

"Aunt Shara is my godmother; I don't really want to double up. I don't know, maybe the Tandins…"

As much as Lux loved the Tandins they just didn't feel right for this baby's godparents and Dalla didn't seem too convinced about the idea either. In fact when he thought of a potential godparent there was only one person who stood out to him, though she'd been running around the galaxy for five years now.

He paused.

Well, maybe…

"Dalla?"

"Aye?"

"What do you think about Soniee?"

"Soniee?" She rubbed her belly. "I'd love that, but how would we get ahold of her?"

"I have a few tricks up my sleeve. She's seen Iziz, but she's never been up to the Hold. Maybe she'd like to come for a visit. And while she's here…" He raised his eyebrows and smirked at her.

Dalla smirked back. "Don't you have his comm frequency somewhere around here?"

"Then what are we waiting for?" He stood up and was just about to leave when he remembered that Dalla was unable to do so.

"Forget something?" His wife held out her arms to be picked up.

"I remembered in time." He lifted her onto her feet. "I'll set up the security for comming her, you look for the frequency, aye?"

"Aye." She gave him an awkward hug. "Let's get our baby some godparents!"

…

 _"_ _Lux?"_ Soniee looked like she was struggling to see him through the fuzzy connection, but her voice was warm and welcoming all the same. _"Lux, it's been so long! How are you?"_

"I'm doing wonderfully," Lux smiled and tried to get a better look at her surroundings. She looked like she was in a ship's cockpit, which shouldn't have surprised him. "I'm not sure how much news you've heard wherever you are, but Dalla and I -."

 _"_ _You're doing well? That's wonderful. Is she there?"_

Lux couldn't exactly say that Dalla was in the other room looking for Soniee's husband's comm number. "No, she's lying down. Or maybe she's eating. It's always one of those two nowadays."

 _"_ _Nowadays?"_ She blinked blearily.

"Soniee, have you been drinking?" He'd just started to see the signs now in his excitement. "Should you be flying?"

 _"_ _I'm fine,"_ she said quickly and then bit her lip. " _Only I'm not fine because I just was talking to an imperial and he said that his bosses are organizing a breeding initiative. A breeding initiative! Can you believe it?! They want humans to have loyal little imperial babies. And he wanted me to have one with him! Of course I never would... with him. There's only one person in the galaxy I would ever consider... And he also said that they're legalizing deactivators for their troopers. Testing them anyway. Now Lux, how could I in good conscience ever bring a child into a galaxy where troopers are marching around with deactivators?"_

"Um…"

 _"_ _Now what did you want to talk to me about?"_

"Well... Dalla and I are... having a baby."

Silence.

 _"_ _That…"_ Soniee cleared her throat. _"Congratulations, both of you. That's very exciting."_

"Not much farther to go," he rubbed the back of his neck and kept talking. "She's big as a planet. Can't get out of a chair on her own, and barely squeezing into her maternity dresses." He saw the look on Soniee's face and dropped the subject. "That's what why I'm comming. We were thinking, and we wanted to ask you to be the baby's godmother."

Soniee's face lit up. _"Me?"_

"I can't think of anyone I'd rather have. And we can keep it quiet too; we'd never ask you to do something that might compromise your safety."

 _"_ _I have to make a few arrangements first,"_ Soniee said. _"But I'll be over as soon as I can. I can't wait to see you and Dalla again!"_

"We'll be waiting for you." He gave her one last smile as the comm ended.

…

"They've gotten clearance to land. Should be here in just a few minutes."

"And we have everything ready for all of them?" Dalla tried to stretch.

"We do. Do you need to sit down?" With the due date looming, Lux was hyper aware.

"No, I'm fine." She shaded her eyes and looked up to the sky. "I think I see them coming in now."

She was right. A Mandalorian freighter descended to the dock and lowered its boarding ramp. No sooner had the airlock opened than a little girl who appeared to be about seven bolted down the ramp and onto the docks.

A man followed on her heels and promptly smacked his head on the transport in his hurry. "Veeka! Veeka, stay with _buir,"_ he reminded her and scooped her up to halt her sprint. Now that he was closer Lux could clearly see who he was.

"Commander Fox!" He called and waved at his old friend.

"Bonteri!" Fox grinned and made his way over to them. "It's good to see you."

"Good to see you as well. I'm glad you and your family could make it."

"Me too. Your timing was really a favor to us as well. The Imperial Academy came trying to recruit the kids and we needed to get out of there fast." He looked to Dalla and smiled. "Is this the missus?"

"She is. This is my wife Lady Dalla Blackwell. Dalla, this is Commander Fox, formerly of the Coruscant Guard."

"Not Commander anymore." Fox extended his hand to Dalla. "I'm just Fox Jerec now. Nice to meet you, my lady."

"And you as well." Dalla shook his hand and then waved to the little girl in his arms. "Hi there, my name's Dalla. What's yours?"

The child regarded her and Lux and then said, slowly. "Veeka."

"Mr. Lux and Mrs. Dalla are your Aunt Soniee's friends," Fox explained. "We're going to stay with them while Aunt Soniee comes for a visit."

Veeka looked around to the docks and the water probably to see what else she could do while they waited for Aunt Soniee but before she could voice her suggestion a blonde woman and a little boy came up to Fox, smiling. Slightly behind them followed a man about Lux's age, who wasn't.

Fox set Veeka on the ground and put his arm around the blonde woman. "This is my lovely wife and the only reason I manage to get anything done right, Lagos Jerec."

"That's not true," Lagos playfully smacked him. "You manage just fine on your own."

"You sound so sure of that," Fox sighed. "I'm not."

"You should be." She turned her attention back to their hosts. "So these are the friends I've heard so much about. Well, one of you more than the other. But still, I was hoping I'd get a chance to meet you."

"The same for me. Soniee doesn't hand out compliments lightly, and I knew when she said she had a great friend back on Mandalore that I'd like to meet her." Dalla held out her hand. "I'm Dalla. It's a pleasure."

Lagos shook with one hand and with the other tousled her son's wavy blond locks. "Fox here introduced me and Veeka already, but this one is Tracen."

Lux bent to Tracen's level. "High five, Trace? Shaking hands is for boring grown-ups."

 _"_ _Elek!"_ Tracen agreed and high-fived him.

Fox threw up his hands. "He's a natural. Of course."

"He sort of has to be, living here," Dalla shrugged. "Well, that and …" She rubbed her belly.

"You look beautiful," Lagos said. "How much longer do you have?"

"Not much, thank the salt gods. She's running out of room."

"I know the feeling. So it's a girl?"

Lux noticed the final member of the group take a step back when he heard Lagos' and Dalla's conversation. He jumped back in and greeted him. "Korkie, thank you for coming. I know this must be nerve-wracking for you."

Korkie Kryze nodded, his mouth stretched in a hard line. "If there's a chance I could see her again, I wouldn't have given it up for anything."

That still couldn't make it easy for Korkie to watch Lux prepare to be a father, and Dalla carry a healthy baby. Lux gave him a look of solidarity. He'd keep an eye on Korkie, and if there was anything he could do to make his stay better he'd do it.

He cleared his throat. "I believe there's one more introduction to make."

"Aye. Please excuse my rudeness." Dalla took the few steps necessary to close ranks with Korkie. "Dalla Blackwell. I take it you've already met my husband."

"And I guess you've already met my wife." He said it with an uneasy smile, an awkward attempt at humor that fell flat along with the expression. "I'm sorry. It's been so long since I've seen her. I… it's a pleasure to meet you Dalla."

"Pleasure's all mine." She gently but firmly took Korkie's arm and the two of them led the group back to the Hold: her at the front with Korkie, and Lux leading the Jerecs. When Korkie wasn't looking she shot a look back at Lux, the one which translated to _What didn't you tell me, Bonteri?_ in silent spousal communication.

Lux pantomimed a pregnant belly and jerked his head toward Korkie.

Dalla's eyes widened and she went back to Korkie, silent as he was.

Luckily at that very moment, Veeka caught a glimpse of something on the water and cried "Fish!"

"That's a brylk." Lux jumped on the new conversation topic."They help the sailors catch fish."

Lagos followed the lead. "Remember you two, I said we might see some sailors with their catches. Would you like to see that?"

Tracen nodded. "Can we watch the brylks catch them?"

"The brylks work out on the deep water," Dalla explained. "But you can see them here on the docks while they're resting."

"Mrs. Dalla's aunt is a beast master. I'm sure she'd take you if you asked," Lux said.

"Why can't we go out on the deep water?"

"Because it takes a long time, and we don't have time to go there."

"Oh. Is it 'cause Mrs. Dalla's gonna have a baby?"

Silence fell over the adults until Korkie broke it.

"Yes, Trace. Your Aunt Soniee's coming here to see Mr. Lux and Mrs. Dalla's baby," he said with a tight smile.

…

"Have you contacted her at all except to invite her?" Korkie asked.

"She's supposed to give us another comm right before she drops into hyperspace," Lux explained. "The connection was fuzzy to say the least, and we didn't want to risk setting off any alarms with multiple comms. We thought we could meet her on the docks and then have you all waiting in the hold. That way you could have your reunion in private."

"I'd like that." Korkie wrung his hands in his lap from nervousness.

Fox saved the conversation. "Shara was so kind taking the kids to go see the brylks. They were thrilled."

"Aunt Shara was thrilled to show them off," Dalla exhaled and put her hands on her belly, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room.

·"Is everything okay?" Lux asked.

"Aye. Your daughter just decided to play bolo-ball in there, that's all."

Lagos winced in sympathy.

"Anyway, for Soniee. She's never been up here, so we can stall by giving her a tour if we have to." Dalla left off holding her belly and relaxed back into the couch she was sharing with Lagos.

"Korkie, would you like to talk to her first or would you like Fox and I to do it?"

Korkie clasped his hands together to stop fidgeting with them. "I...I'm not sure yet."

"We still have time." Fox nodded. "It's your decision. Whatever you want to do, Lagos and I will back you up."

"And we already asked the rest of the family to stay away from this part of the Hold to give you some privacy." Lux hoped that all the kids would follow the request. The last thing Korkie and Soniee needed was Lana and Nessa popping over to spy on them.

"Thank you."

"Until then, would anyone like some lunch? I think Aunt Shara and Uncle Jamos are taking Trace and Veeka to the pub, but there should be something in the conservator we could warm up."

Dalla crossed her arms. "Or I could cook something."

"I think our Mandalorian friends would rather not have food poisoning."

"That's true." She held out her arms. "But I can heat up Aunt Shara's stuff, and I need to walk around to calm this baby down. Mind lending a hand?"

"You heat the food, I'll set the table." He and Lagos worked together to lift Dalla off the couch and then looked around to the others.

Fox was whispering to Korkie, who didn't look like he'd heard anything Lux said. Instead he stared straight ahead.

"On second thought, I think I'm also going to get Korkie a drink," he whispered and raced for the liquor cabinet to get the strongest bottle of whiskey he had.

…

"How far along is she?" Lagos asked. Kayla and Emoth had come to join them for what passed for a quiet evening by fire in Blackhold manor. If she'd been hoping to get Dalla's mind off the situation it wasn't working but Lagos was curious.

"Umm…" Dalla tried to think. "I was about three months along at her sister's wedding so… that would make her seven months I think."

"And the little boy can't be much older than that?"

Dalla smiled. "She hadn't started her cycle up again yet and didn't think it could happen while she was nursing Jak."

Lagos shook her head. "And not much more than a child herself."

"She and her twin just turned seventeen. Her twin sister, Kora, is married to my brother Cade." Dalla explained.

"But they don't have any children yet?" She clarified.

"Aye," Dalla squirmed and Lagos looked to see if the men had noticed. They were all watching Jak stand on his wobbly legs and scoot along while Emoth held onto his fingers. The proud young father grinned.

If she was right another one of them would become a father earlier than he expected. "Are you -?"

Dalla nodded. "I think so."

Lagos checked her chrono. The contractions were still not quite regular. She waited until Dalla was relaxing again before she spoke. "She reminds me of me."

"Who Kayla?" Dalla asked.

"I was seventeen when I got pregnant with Tracen." Lagos remembered.

Dalla studied her. Of course she still looked very young and Tracen was nearly nine. She would have had to be very young when she had him.

"Did Soniee not tell you the story?" Lagos asked.

Dalla shook her head, hands resting somewhat comfortably on her big belly, settling in for the telling. "She told me she had a friend, Lagos, back home who had a little boy but she didn't go into the details. No. She did mention that Amis was his father."

Lagos nodded. "Amis and I were always careful. We didn't have any reason not to be. We loved each other but we were about to graduate and do whatever it is graduates of the Royal Academy of Government were supposed to do with their lives. We didn't even know if we would still be on the same planet or in the same system after that. We just enjoyed life a day at a time."

She sighed and blinked. "Then Viszla and Maul and all of them came in and took over the capitol. They locked down the Academy to keep us all safe and then Bo Katan came and sent everybody home. But we didn't go home, the four of us, Korkie, Soniee, Amis, and me, just four kids alone waiting for the end of the world or a chance to fix it." She wiped a piece of non-existent dust out of her eye.

"So Korkie and Soniee were together but they hadn't done anything about it yet. We were teasing them, pretending to be their chaperones and delivered every contraceptive in the place to their doorstep." There was a catch in her voice even though she was smiling. "That night before… we didn't use anything. What did it matter? We were probably all going to…"

A sniff and another wipe of the eyes and she continued. "I remembered thinking that, when I saw him lying in that docking bay. I fought for him in all the battles that followed. And then when I found out I was pregnant I was so happy to still have part of him with me. I didn't even think about how hard it would be to be a single mom, raising a baby on my own."

Dalla cringed as the next contraction tightened in her belly. Lagos was instantly all business again checking the chrono and checking to see if anyone else had noticed.

"Is it worse than the last one?" she asked in a whisper.

"Aye." But soon it passed and she relaxed again.

"My pregnancy with Trace was terrible. I was so sick."

"And you did it all on your own?" Dalla couldn't imagine going through this without her whole support system.

"I wasn't completely alone. Bo and the other nite owls sort of took me in. Ursa Wren was an angel from Manda on a few occasions and Doctor Gilamar is really the best on Manda'yaim…"

"You mentioned Bo-Katan before. Lux met her once. He was so upset after Dooku had his mother killed, he nearly joined the Deathwatch."

"Oh that's right, I do remember hearing about that. If Ahsoka hadn't followed him to Carlaac…"

 _"_ _Carlaac."_ Dalla clenched her teeth and Lagos wondering if she might be already working her way into another contraction.

Lagos laid her hand on the other young woman's stomach to check but didn't feel anything other than a kick. She decided to get back to the original subject. "I promised myself I would never go through this again." She was smiling at the little dark haired girl playing on the floor with her brother when she said it.

"What changed your mind?" Dalla looked like she would be happy with one and done as well in her present condition.

"Fox." Lagos was still completely smitten with her husband after all these years. "I'm sure Lux told you how close Soniee and Fox were on Coruscant. Of course anyone who had seen her and Korkie knew they were meant to be together. But she was covering for him and honestly I don't blame her for nearly falling for my husband. Who wouldn't?" She grinned.

Dalla rolled her eyes and shifted her position.

Lagos went on, glad they had found a more comfortable subject matter. "He was in love with her too. Or he thought he was. I think he was just in love with the idea of kriffing a Mando girl and he hadn't met the right one yet."

Dalla nodded, seemingly remembering someone. "I know the type."

"Well when he found out about her supposed death on Concord Dawn, he was heart broken. Knowing that I was her good friend and thinking I would be upset as well, he sent me a comm."

Dalla sobered. She too had sent a comm to someone who she assumed would be heartbroken at the news of Soniee's supposed demise. _He_ at that particular moment was seeking comfort in the arms of a random female.

Again Dalla tensed but this time it was with a real contraction, the worst so far. She breathed through it still not ready to inform her former playboy husband that it would soon be time to meet his daughter. "So what…" she swallowed and regained her composure. "What happened next?"

"I was able to tell him that she wasn't dead but she was…" Lagos didn't want to remind her friend that Soniee too had been pregnant at the time and that did not end happily. Instead she went with, "mourning for her Ordo'buir."

Lagos rushed on to the more romantic part of the story. "I asked if he wanted me to tell her anything or if he wanted to talk to her himself but he just wanted to keep talking to me. We talked as often and as long as we could after that. I think we may have fallen in love before we ever met."

Dalla settled somewhat. "Lux and I talked all the time too. We told each other everything. Still do."

Lagos grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "I knew Fox wanted to be a father. He was amazing with Trace from day one. I don't know how I would have ever gotten along without him. But I knew he wanted his own child also… so we had Veeka."

"He doesn't seem to make any distinction between his natural child and the one he adopted." Dalla observed.

"No, he doesn't. He adores them both."

Fox had sneaked up behind her and caught the tail end of the conversation. He wrapped his arms around his wife nuzzled her ear. "I adore their mother as well."

Lagos playfully swatted him. "Get out of here, you lout. Don't you know not to interrupt girl time?"

"Yes ma'am." He kissed her cheek before going back to the boys, just in time to miss Dalla squirm and let out a squeak of pain.

Lagos leaned closer so they wouldn't be overheard. "Fox was a great help when I was in labor. Lux will help you with this if you tell him."

"And I will tell him, just not yet. I don't want to worry him with this on top of Korkie."

…

"Is that better?" Lux asked. Korkie looked a lot better about halfway through his drink.

"It's helping." Korkie took another sip before returning to his meal. "I didn't think I'd be so nervous once the time came."

"Sometimes we all need a little liquid courage." Fox gave him an encouraging smile and then tried to get Lagos' attention for some backup, but Lagos wasn't listening. Instead she was whispering to Dalla, who shook her head and rubbed her belly again.

They must have been talking about the baby or possibly Lagos was filling Dalla in on the specifics of Soniee and Korkie's situation. Either way, Lux wasn't about to interrupt that so soon after they'd gotten Korkie somewhat calmed down.

"After dinner, maybe we can go to the docks," he suggested. "Or if you'd rather do something else we could sit by the fire, or go to the pub?"

"I'd love to see the docks." Fox seemed in the business of saving conversations today. "If no one else has any objections, then -."

Just then Lux's comlink started ringing. No one needed to check the caller's ID to know who it was.

Korkie went white as a sheet. "That has to be -."

"I'll take it." Lux snatched up the device and hurried out, ducking into the comm room before he picked up the transmission. "Bonteri here."

Soniee Ordo's likeness sprung to life. _"Lux, it's me again. How are you doing?"_

"Soniee! I'm doing great. You've just missed Dalla; she's eating again." It wasn't a lie. Dalla was eating … with Soniee's husband and her best friend's family.

 _"_ _So she hasn't had the baby?"_

"Not yet. We're in countdown mode."

 _"_ _Maybe I'll be there to see it."_ Soniee's lip wobbled but she composed herself. _"I was comming to let you know that I'm on my way. I just left orbit."_

"Great! When can we expect to see you?" _Or rather, how long does poor Korkie have to stew?_

 _"_ _About twenty-four standard hours. I'll be there as soon as I can."_

"I can't wait to see you, Soniee. I'll meet you on the docks when you arrive."

 _"_ _The sooner I end this transmission the sooner I can be there. See you tomorrow, Lux."_ She gave him a small wave and the transmission fizzled out.

Lux took a deep breath. Twenty-four standard hours. That wasn't bad.

He made his way back to the dining room and addressed its occupants: "That was Soniee. She's slated to arrive in twenty-four hours."

"Tomorrow?" Korkie repeated and tightened his grip on his fork. Any relaxing effects from the whiskey were well shot now.

"Yes, tomorrow." Lux took his seat. "We'll make the arrangements and get everything set up. From there it should be smooth sailing."

"Right. As long as the weather holds we should - ah!" Dalla gasped and grabbed the table.

"Dalla?" Lux scrambled out of his chair as fast as he'd sat down in it and hurried over to her. "What is it? Is the baby kicking that hard?"

Lagos put a hand on Dalla's shoulder. "It's time to tell him," she ordered.

Dalla shook her head. "I'm okay."

"Dalla has an announcement." Lagos addressed the table at large.

"Announcement?" Lux blindly fumbled for his wife's free hand and grabbed it in a death grip. "Dalla, you're scaring me. What's going on?"

Dalla exhaled and relaxed her grip on the table. "My contractions are ten minutes apart, and I think my water just broke."

Korkie's fork started shaking in his hand and Fox froze.

Lux blinked. "You're in labor? H-how long have you been in labor?"

"Doesn't matter how long, it just matters how far apart the pains are." Lagos got to her feet, all business. "Lux, help me get her to the bedroom. Fox, you know the drill. Korkie, get her aunt and the midwife. Looks like Soniee's going to meet her godchild as soon as she gets off the ship."


	29. Sea of Love

**SEA OF LOVE**

Come with me, my love

To the sea, the sea of love.

I want to tell you how much I love you.

...

Lux and Dalla's room was a bubble of calm, if such a bubble had ever existed in Blackhold, and it was all thanks to Lagos. Before the midwife had even stepped through the door she had Dalla changed into a nightgown and propped up on the bed, set Lux to work crushing ice into chips, and reminded Dalla how to breathe through the contractions.

At least, that was all she would claim in front of Dalla. She'd also chased away family members who were trying to crowd the room, including Jamos with his holocam and Lana with Nessa, who were trying to sneak a peek. And she'd stopped Lux from entering the birthing room with a rupingfish salad sandwich, probably saving his life in the process. She'd wanted to rip the head off anyone who dared to eat smelly food around her when she was in labor.

Over on the other side of the room Lux (sans the offensive sandwich) was rubbing Dalla's shoulders. "You're doing great," he said. "Niamh says it shouldn't be much longer."

Lagos and Niamh winced. Famous last words, Lux.

Luckily for him Dalla hadn't heard him. "How much longer until Soniee gets here?"

"Not for a while," Lux assured her. "We have plenty of time."

"But do we have her room ready? There was so much to do still."

"Everyone else is taking care of that. You can just relax. Do you want ice chips?"

"You want ice chips," Lagos announced.

Dalla nodded and Lux grabbed the ice chips to feed to her. He'd barely done two spoonfuls when she grabbed the covers and squeezed them for dear life. "Salt gods!"

Lagos approached her bedside. "Dalla, there's nothing wrong with wanting drugs. I can ask Niamh to give you an epidural if you want one."

"No! No, I'm good." Dalla's face screwed up as the contraction reached its peak. "I'm okay. I don't need any drugs."

"Okay. If you change your mind then just tell somebody." While Dalla wasn't looking she leaned over to Lux and whispered "Get her mind off the pain. Talk to her about something."

"Alright," Lux nodded and took a second to think of something. "Uh...Dalla, do you want me to get the holocam so we can take stills of her as soon as possible? Or would you rather wait until later?"

"Dxun, the holocam! Should we record Soniee and Korkie when they see each other again, or not?" Dalla's body may have been relaxing but the rest of her wasn't. "And did we do the right thing setting up two rooms for them? Maybe we should only have done one, they are married after all, and -."

Niamh spoke up from across the room. "You don't have to worry about any of that, love. Your aunt's got it."

"No, she doesn't. Everything's in my planner on my desk, and Aunt Shara never goes near my desk so she doesn't have it. Sweet salt gods, I've got to -."

"You aren't doing anything," Lagos said over her before Dalla could move. "You are in the stirrups. The only thing you're doing right now is having a baby."

Dalla stared at the experienced mother wide-eyed before another contraction cut her off.

"And looks like we're nearing the end of transition." Niamh approached the foot of the bed to check their progress.

Lagos had other concerns. "Lux, I'd get on the bed behind her but whatever you do, don't hold her hand."

"Why not?"

"She'll break it," Lagos and Niamh said in unison.

Lux gulped and did as he was told.

...

The birthing room may have been calm, but the series of rooms outside it was anything but. The entire Blackwell clan had crammed into one room, each one of them absorbed in their own self-distracting activity. Shara was talking to Jamos, Marlon was pacing, and the others were attempting to distract themselves by entertaining Tracen and Veeka. That was all fine with Korkie. He didn't need any more disturbances right now.

There was a lull in Shara and Jamos' conversation and Korkie caught some of the goings-on in the birthing room.

 _"_ _Almost there, Dalla. You're doing great."_

 _"_ _Hold my shoulder. Breathe it out."_

And then Dalla, who'd been mostly silent so far, shrieked _"I want my mother!"_

The doorknob turned a little. _"I'll get her momma,"_ Lagos offered. " _Where is she?"_

Silence. Then the midwife spoke up: _"Lady Lana died thirteen years ago."_

The doorknob returned to its original position. _"Oh…"_

Korkie tried to mentally block the sounds, but it was no use. In an instant he was transported back to Dr. Gilamar's practice in Enceri, watching Mij and Fox wheel Soniee into the operating theater...

Dalla cried out again and before Korkie knew it he was on his feet and hurrying down the hallway, away from the birthing room as fast as he could.

He couldn't stay here. Not with Soniee on her way. If Korkie thought about those two things in tandem for much longer he'd lose it, and he couldn't blow what might be his last chance to clear the air with Soniee.

He spied a greenhouse out the window. That's where he'd go, he decided. There he could find silence, peace, and the chance to collect his thoughts he needed.

…

After Korkie left for the greenhouse, everyone in the Hold heard the sound they were waiting for: a newborn baby's cry.

Marlon looked ready to race into the birthing room to meet his grandchild, but Shara stopped him. "Give them some time," she ordered. "They'll come out when they're ready."

In the delivery room Dalla craned her neck to catch a glimpse of the baby Niamh was cleaning and wrapping up. "Lux, did you see her? Is she okay?"

"She's so pretty." Lux blinked tears from his eyes. "Oh gods Dalla, she's _so pretty."_

"And she's perfectly healthy." Niamh handed the swaddled infant to Dalla. "Congratulations, you two. Meet your daughter."

Lux squished next to his wife on the bed so he could get a better look and reach over to touch his daughter's head.

"Hello," he whispered to the baby.

"She's beautiful." Dalla folded back a little more of the blanket so they could see their daughter's face better. "Look at all her hair."

"She looks like us." It was all he could think to say.

"Of course she does. We're her parents." They flashed each other a quick smile before going back to the baby, never having loved each other more than in that moment.

"What are we going to name her?" Lux was too enamored with the baby to care about the name argument anymore.

Dalla shook her head. "I thought about naming her after my mother, but we already have a Lana running around. And I know what you think about naming her after yours."

That every time he heard the name Mina it made him sad? Yes. "She doesn't look like a Mina anyway. That could be a middle name though." Saying that gave him an idea. "What was your mother's middle name again?"

"Roisin. I think she looks like a Roisin. What do you think?"

She could have named the baby Ship's Biscuit and Lux wouldn't have loved his daughter less. "I love it."

He would have gone back to gazing at his daughter, but his comlink rang.

"Only two people that could be, and I'd better answer to either one."

"If it's King Dendup, tell him the _three_ of us send our love. Wait until he hears that."

"Careful, he'll send a planethopper for us within the hour." He checked the caller's ID. "But we don't have to worry about that. I think Soniee's calculating her final jump now."

…

Soniee didn't greet them when they met her at the docks some hours later. Instead, before the boarding ramp had even lowered fully Soniee zeroed in on the bundle in Dalla's arms and demanded: "What are you holding? Manda, _what are you holding?"_

Lux gestured to the bundle. "Surprise!"

Soniee raced down the ramp and jockeyed to get a good look at the baby. "Is that my godchild?"

"She is." Dalla handed the baby to Soniee, who took her immediately. "Her name is Roisin Mina Bonteri."

"I think it's hard to say, so I call her Ros," Lux said, smirking.

Soniee didn't even look at them. "Hello, Ros," she whispered, careful not to wake the newborn. "I'm your Aunt Soniee."

Roisin stirred in her sleep and Lux spoke up for her. "She says hi, Aunt Soniee. And so do her mommy and daddy."

Soniee looked up from the baby, her face shining like a sun. "I'm so glad I could come and see you!" She cried and stepped forward so her friends could embrace her. "And congratulations! She's beautiful."

"We can't stop looking at her." Dalla smiled.

"I can't either." Soniee went back to Roisin. "I'm honored you chose me as her godmother. I never would have dreamed it would be possible, but I'm so glad it is."

"You two are clearly a match made in heaven," Lux assured her. "We can all see that. I wouldn't dream of having anyone else."

"No we wouldn't. Why don't we go inside; we've got some catching up to do."

"That sounds great. What about you, Ros?" Soniee asked. "Do you want to go inside? Is it too cold for you out here?"

"It's not too cold out here," Dalla replied. "She's a northern woman. We have ice water for blood."

…

Soniee still hadn't looked up from Roisin when they arrived at the Hold, and Lux and Dalla were starting to second-guess where they'd hidden the Jerecs. Korkie was salt gods know where, and Fox had Tracen and Veeka hidden in the sitting room, but Lagos was right inside the door.

"Is she going to see Lagos?" Lux whispered to Dalla, which wasn't hard with Soniee making baby talk to Ros.

"Of course she's going to see Lagos," Dalla whispered back. "They're best friends. You can't just not see your best friend."

"She almost didn't see us." Lux made a very good point.

"She was just surprised to see Ros."

"Want to bet on that, Dalla?"

"I don't have ten credits."

"We don't have to bet credits. We can bet who gets up in the middle of the night to take care of the baby."

Dalla rolled her eyes. "You don't have the equipment to take care of that. Nope, no bets."

"What are Mommy and Daddy talking about?" Soniee said not really to Roisin.

"How Lux plans on feeding her in the middle of the night without me." Dalla answered.

"I don't think that's possible, Lux." They approached the door and Soniee stepped back so one of them could open it for her and Ros. "Unless you go out and buy some formula."

Lux held the door. He could see Lagos over on the opposite side of the room, grinning hugely at the sight of Soniee. How long had it been since they'd seen each other? Eight years?

Lagos took a deep breath while the three entered, and then burst out. "Hi, Soniee!"

Soniee didn't even look at her. "Hi, Lagos," she said and kept right on walking down the hall cooing at the baby in her arms.

Lagos, Lux, and Dalla stared at her for a few seconds before they all realized Soniee wasn't stopping and ran to catch up with her.

"You aren't going to stop and chat?" Lux asked, still in disbelief.

"Haven't we been chatting all this way?"

"Does she know I'm here?" Lagos whispered, mouth agape.

"I don't think it clicked," Dalla whispered back.

Lagos took a breath so she could talk to Soniee again and hopefully get it to click, but she didn't have to. Veeka tore into the hallway at top speed, and Fox followed half a second later.

"Veeka," he took a few gulps of air once his daughter was once again in hand. "You just couldn't wait to meet Auntie Soniee either, could you?"

"Is that Aunt Soniee?"

Soniee froze and stared at the little girl in her father's arms. "Fox." She swallowed. "She looks just like you." She turned and finally noticed her old friend. "And Lagos, you named her after Ordo'buir."

They were all smiling at her but Soniee had started to look around and reaching even further than this room into the Force. "But if you're all here then…"

…

Across the Hold, sitting at the bar in the pub, Korkie's head suddenly sprang up as if someone had shocked him with electricity.

He set down his pint at the same moment Soniee handed the baby off to one of her parents. She didn't really pay attention to which one. She did make sure whoever it was had a good hold on Ros before she let go. And then she was running back out of the house the way she had come.

And there _he_ was running towards her down the path from the little town by the docks. He stopped when they were still several meters apart. It was as close as they had been the last time she'd seen him face to face at the spaceport in Iziz.

He was older. He'd been neglecting to trim his beard again for the last couple of days which probably meant he had known he would be seeing her again and he had been nervous about it. They hadn't told her. Maybe they were afraid she wouldn't come. Manda! Of course she would! It was so good to see him!

Korkie took a hesitant step closer and so did she, and another step and another until they were close enough that they could have reached out and touched each other. But they didn't, they both held back.

They had shared a meeting of the minds several times in the last few years and just now she could feel the warmth of that presence seeping into her consciousness.

"Did you get to see the baby?" He asked by way of breaking the ice.

"Lux and Dalla's little girl?" She answered. "Elek, I just got to hold her. And I saw little Veeka. Fox has his own little clone now." Soniee smiled weakly.

They were both silent for another moment until Korkie said what they both were thinking. "I was remembering Oron last week, that it was his birthday. He would have enjoyed celebrating with his cousins."

"Elek."

…

"Are they talking now? Or are they still staring?" Lagos asked.

"They're talking, but this window keeps fogging up!" Dalla cleared away the condensation with her sleeve and tented her hand against the window again. "I can't tell what they're saying."

Lagos joined her in observing the couple outside. "Manda, just kiss already!"

"I know, right!"

Lagos readjusted her hands so she could see better. "Soniee's wiping her eyes. Oh no, they must be talking about the baby. That was awful, it completely destroyed them when it happened."

"No one ever told me what it was, but Korkie was so upset when you landed," Dalla suddenly felt compelled to go to Roisin's crib and make sure the newborn was still breathing. "Is that why they were separated?" she asked, making her way there.

Lagos nodded. "It was bad. They both thought the other blamed them and didn't want anything to do with them, but now that they're able to clear the air…"

There was silence for a second.

"I can't take the suspense any more!" Lagos cried.

Dalla spun on her heels from Ros's crib and went back to the window. "Me neither!"

"This is exactly what it was like trying to get them together in the first place," Lagos moaned. "I had to convince her that I was going out with Korkie and convince Korkie that she was going out with Amis before either of them would admit that they needed to be together."

Dalla bit her lip. "Maybe I should have told Korkie about Saw."

"No wait. Wait! Look!" Lagos pointed out the window to the couple, in each other's arms kissing. "Aww, they always were the cutest couple."

Dalla smiled. "Aye. That they are." Soniee and Korkie separated and took a step back, much to the watchers' disappointment. "Oh wait, now they're just staring at each other again."

Lagos' hand flew to her mouth. "Oh Manda! No they're not!"

"What are you talking about? They're just standing there."

"No watch closely; she's in his head doing her _Jetti_ thing. Who knows what she's doing in there."

"She can do that? Get into people's heads?" Dalla made a sign to the salt gods.

Lagos nodded. "She can, but she mostly kind of shuts it off. It gives her headaches. But with Korkie it's different. They've got some kind of special connection. Probably because his dad was _Jetti."_

"I had no idea…" Dalla paused to chew on the new information. "So you think they might be... In their heads…"

Lagos grinned. "She probably knows we're watching."

Soniee glanced over at the window for a brief second, then made a motion like she was waving to the women there.

The storm shutters snapped closed, banging against the window with a sharp _smack_ in the process. Lagos swore in Mando'a, Dalla swore in Onderonian, and Roisin jolted awake, screaming.

"Oh no." Dalla hustled over to the crib and picked up her daughter. "Shh, it's okay. Mommy's here."

Lagos sighed and joined her. "Well, whatever's going on out there we won't be able to see it. Here, let me show you how to swaddle her."

…

Korkie laughed at his wife's swift action and took her hand. "I know a place where we could get away from the voyeurs."

"Oh really?" she smiled at him.

"I don't know if they made up a room of your own for you but the one they've given me is quite comfortable and I think I might have noticed locks and sound proofing on the door."

It was Soniee's turn to laugh and she sniffed away the last of her tears. "Is it closer than our faithful old B-7?"

"I think it very well might be. And…" he shrugged. "It would be a shame to spurn the hospitality of this kind family who have asked us to be the godparents of their little girl."

"Elek," she agreed and as they walked hand in hand she laid her head on his shoulder. Manda! It felt good to be home!

…

Author's note: Roisin's name is Irish, and pronounced "RO-sheen."


	30. Renewal

**RENEWAL**

"Why do I get the feeling that you had all of this planned before I even got to the planet?" Soniee asked, looking at Lagos in the mirror over her shoulder as she pinned a veil into her former roommate's hair.

Lagos grinned back at her. "What? Me? You're the one with the _Jetti_ powers. I just happened to have this stuff with me."

"And you do know that this is only a vow renewal and Korkie and I are already married? You were there when we said our vows, remember?"

Lagos chuckled. "I remember I had to bow out because Trace was making me sick as a strill and I never got to help you get dressed or do your hair…"

There was a knock on the door and Lagos called out, "If you're not Korkie you can come in."

Shara Blackwell opened the door a crack and whispered, "It's just me." She slipped in and closed the door again behind her. She had a wooden box in her hands. It was octagon shaped and the top was decorated with shells in the shape of a rose. "I wanted to lend you this: something borrowed."

She sat on the edge of the bed and opened the box. From within it she drew out a silk net. "It's the binding cloth that your Uncle Jamos and I were caught up with and we used it in our wedding."

"It's beautiful Aunt Shara, and so thoughtful of you. I would be honored." Soniee gushed.

"You're perfectly welcome. Oh and if you'd like…" She brought out of the box a well read flimsi novel. "It's the story of your namesake."

Soniee took it and perused the cover. "I have the children's version of this that belonged to Momma!"

"I know you don't have time to read the whole thing now but…" she indicated a bookmark, "there, the page that's marked. Those vows are sometimes added to the traditional Onderonian words. You don't have to say them if you don't wish to." She hurried to add.

Soniee flipped to the page and read over the words. "This is beautiful. These are the words you promised to Uncle Jamos?" she asked.

Aunt Shara nodded remembering.

"Well, the salt gods certainly blessed your marriage." Soniee sighed, "And that's what this is all about. For Ros."

"You just keep telling yourself this is all so you and Korkie can be the model godparents for the _ad'ika_." Lagos grinned.

"I told you we could hold a quick ceremony without any frills so Lux and Dalla wouldn't have to -."

"Don't try to get out of this on my account," Dalla spoke up from her seat on the other side of the room. "I'm just fine and it's a beautiful day for Ros to be outside for a while."

"Have you slept at all since the delivery?" Soniee didn't need the force to know the other woman was exhausted.

"I did and I feel great. How does the dress fit?"

Soniee smoothed the white satin skirt of Dalla's, now her, wedding dress. It was a little short but in flat shoes it fit almost perfectly. "It's lovely. You didn't have to alter it."

Dalla shrugged. "I had to do something while I was waiting to push. It looks better on you anyway."

"Ladies?" Shara pointed to the wall chrono. "I'm afraid we're already running a little late."

With that realization the bridal party made their way from the Hold and down the well-worn path to the salt formation.

…

"So what am I supposed to do again?" Korkie asked and fidgeted at the foot of the salt formation. Thank Manda he'd asked Lux to stand up with him while they waited for the women.

Lux quickly recapped the Onderonian wedding ceremony. "If you get lost the minister will prompt you."

"How did you keep all this straight?" Korkie had never been so grateful for how they did this on _Manda'yaim._

"Me? I barely remember it," Lux shook his head. "I'm glad it happened though. You'd never seen such cooperation between the north and south in the days that followed. And of course it's the reason we have Ros."

"And Ros is the reason these two reunited." Fox stopped fiddling with the projector long enough to smile. "Thank the salt … things." He gestured vaguely to the salt formation behind him.

"Salt _gods,"_ Lux corrected him gently and then turned back to Korkie. "They're nothing to worry about either. I didn't know what I was getting into when I started attending the services with Dalla but it's rather nice when you learn about it. The salt gods are about giving, not taking. They're worshipped out of thanks, not out of fear that something will happen to you if you don't."

"They sound like kind gods, merciful ones."

"Very. Even when they're disappointed they want to forgive you. You need only ask and make amends to anyone you hurt here in the galaxy." He scratched his head. "At least I think that's it. I'm brushing up on the specifics so Dalla and I can keep things consistent for Ros. But from what I've learned they're just ... good."

He might have continued but his comlink buzzed and he pulled it from his pocket. The text message lit up the background wallpaper: a picture of Ros asleep in her crib. Lux dismissed the message but gazed at the wallpaper a minute longer.

Korkie smiled. "They've been good to you, haven't they?"

"They have been so good to me." He returned the unit to his pocket with a smile. "And to you too. That was Dalla saying the girls are on their way. They'll be here in a few minutes."

"Thank you," he took a deep breath and adjusted his shirt collar for the millionth time. "Cloak first, then the binding, then the words."

"That's it." Lux clapped him on the back. "You're nervous?"

"I thought I would be, but it's not like our first wedding. Everything's more certain now. I know that if anything is supposed to happen, it's the two of us staying together. We've always been together at the heart. We should be together physically as well."

 _"_ _Manda,"_ Fox whistled. "Can I steal that for Lagos?"

"I don't think it applies to your situation."

"I'll rephrase it then. You should definitely say it to Soniee, Kork. That could have come straight out of a novel."

Lux leaned in to whisper. "You say _I am hers and she is mine,_ unless you want to add the Sanya Harkon vows. The minister doesn't look kindly on any other…"

Korkie lost his hearing just then because he spotted the bridal party rounding the bend, Soniee in the lead and Lagos holding the train for her gown. _Manda!_ She looked like royalty! Of course she did, she was royalty and more. Korkie couldn't explain it as anything other than a miracle that the most amazing woman in the galaxy ever gave him the time of day.

Lux gave him one last pat on the back before he stepped down from the platform and joined Dalla with Ros taking their places in the audience. Not content to let his wife have all the baby cuddles he wrapped his arm around the both of them and settled in for the ceremony.

Lagos fanned Soniee's train behind her and gave her friend a quick hug before she too took a seat.

Korkie didn't notice any of them. How could he when Soniee's eyes met his, looking just like she had on the comm all those years ago, but in-person?

With no cue from music or anyone present, Soniee began her walk down the aisle.

Korkie returned to reality when she stepped onto the platform.

"You look beautiful."

"You're not so bad yourself."

He chuckled. "Lux has quite the closet to borrow from."

"It suits you," she caressed his cheek and the beard that was now trimmed neatly as opposed to its earlier disarray. "Especially with this."

Lagos spoke up from the audience: "Less talking, more wedding!"

In unison the happy couple rolled their eyes but Dalla sleepily cut them off before they could begin. "No, not yet. We have to wait for the comm."

"Comm?" Soniee's brow furrowed in confusion and worry. "Who are we comming?"

"Almost got it," Fox said and Emoth jumped up from his seat to help fix the technical issue.

They heard a voice come from the unit that both Soniee and Korkie recognized as Kason Blackwell.

"I thought you were just going to record the ceremony with that thing so we could have a copy of it." Korkie protested as much to their friends as to let his wife know he had nothing to do with this breach of security.

"Don't worry," Lux called up from his seat next to Dalla. "We used all the usual protections."

Bremon Kira's confused image appeared over the projector. _"Can she see me now?"_

 _"_ _Aye,"_ It was Kason's voice again. _"She should be able to see you and hear you."_

"Papa!" Soniee turned away from Korkie to face her father's image. "How did you know?"

 _"_ _Kason and Rayala here showed up at the ruping paddocks saying you were having a vow renewal."_ The old man wiped at his misty eyes. _"After getting to know my son-in-law, there's no event I'd rather witness."_

"Sir." Korkie gave him a polite bow and a smile.

"I'm so glad you're here, Papa." Soniee gushed. "And I'm sorry I haven't been able to comm."

 _"_ _I don't have use of those things anyway. The important thing is,"_ Bremon straightened and his smile grew. _"I, Bremon Kira, give my permission and my blessing for my daughter Sanya Kira to remarry Korkie Kryze."_

His words made the whole thing seem more real and Soniee and Korkie looked into each other's eyes as if this was their first wedding.

"Maybe we could get on with it before Ros's first birthday?" Dalla called and covered a yawn behind her hand.

"Of course." Soniee handed the net and book to the minister. "I'd like to use these."

He nodded and laid them aside for the proper time. Then he turned to the groom. "The cloak?"

Korkie broke from the trance of staring at his wife. "Oh! Elek." He stepped forward to wrap the traditional garment of protection around her shoulders. As he did so he ran his thumb over a sensitive spot on her throat where he had left a (not quite hidden by makeup) love bite the night before.

She gave a little gasp and he a little chuckle before they were facing each other again with their hands clasped.

The minister wrapped their hands with the net and began to recite the words. At the proper time they didn't have to be prompted to say the vows, "I am his(hers) and s(he) is mine." And then the minister held out the book so that Soniee could read from the worn flimsi pages.

Korkie hadn't been expecting this part of the ceremony and he watched her with fascination.

"I will voyage where you voyage and I will find rest in your harbor. Your clan will be my clan and your gods my gods."

They both knew what those words meant. In their Mandalorian ceremony they had promised to be one while they were apart. From now on, however, they would voyage together.

Korkie didn't have to be told to lean forward to kiss her. And the minister just let them have at it while he pronounced them husband and wife, again.

They separated and their audience applauded. Well, almost the whole audience. The best Lux could manage was a thumbs-up since he was holding Ros on one shoulder and Dalla was using the other as a pillow.

…

"I hate to interrupt the reception," Lux said as he got up from the table and slung Dalla's arm over his shoulder. "But I think it's time for these girls to go to bed."

Dalla yawned. "Does anyone mind babysitting for a few minutes?"

"Not at all," Soniee took a fussing Ros. "You can leave her here as long as you like."

"No babysitting for you," Lagos held out her arms to take the baby and winked. "It's time for you and Korkie to have your own bedding."

"Eh, we already took care of that last night," Korkie winked roguishly and wrapped an arm around Soniee.

Unfortunately for him he'd opened another topic for Lagos: "Is this practice babysitting then? Soniee, could you be -?"

Soniee shook her head. "I'd know if I was. Not that it would have been prevented last night." She and Korkie shared a worried look. How had they managed to forget about protection? "We're hoping to have some time to ourselves."

"Well if you're still here tomorrow you can come with me to my appointment," Dalla offered. "Niamh's giving me the pills. I'm sure she could write you a prescription or give the hypo if you prefer."

"Definitely. Thank you, Dalla. And by all means, please leave Ros with us a little longer."

"It's her bedtime too. I'll be right back to pick her up once Dalla's tucked in," Lux sighed and pulled his ringing comlink from his pocket. "And after I take care of this. Hello?"

 _"_ _Lux, I'm so sorry,"_ a very harried-sounding Tandin half whispered into the comm unit. _"Maris and I tried to stall him but he insisted on going to the Hold as soon as possible and he should be there any minute."_

"Stall him? Who is he?" Original mission forgotten Lux looked frantically around the room for any sign of an intruder. "Are we in some kind of danger?"

At 'danger' Dalla sprinted the barely two steps necessary to reach Soniee and snatch Ros from her arms. "What?"

Marlon was all business. "Jay, take Dalla, Kayla, and the babies to my office. Korkie, Fox, the weapons are this way…"

 _"_ _No there's no danger. We only wanted to give you and Dalla a little time to recuperate before he …"_

Just then a familiar, jubilant voice shouted _"Hello?"_

The Blackwells stopped preparing for battle and sat back at the table.

"He's here, Tandin. Thanks for warning us." Lux sighed and hung up.

"What did he do, fly at hyperspeed in atmosphere?" Dalla asked incredulously.

Lux shook his head. "It wouldn't surprise me if he did."

"Who is this?" Lagos asked Kayla.

"The person who's responsible for Ros's nursery looking like a department store," Kayla smiled and rubbed her belly. "He even sent a few gifts for this little one, too."

The Mandalorians were about to prompt her for a name when the dining room door swung open and Ramsis Dendup strode in with a potted plant in one arm and a bright pink sack in the other.

"Hello, everyone!" He called out. "Where's my great-grandchild?"

…

"We weren't expecting you to come to the Hold, sire." Lux said while Dendup exclaimed over Ros. "We would have come down to Iziz."

Dendup waved it off. "I didn't get to spend enough time here when I came for your wedding. The people are wonderful. In fact I spoke with a sailor at the pub whose niece had just been born yesterday as well, what a coincidence that was, and he drank a toast to little Roisin." He refocused on the baby. "May I hold her?"

"Of course." Dalla handed Ros to him making sure he was supporting the baby's head before she let go. She needn't have worried; Dendup may have been old and childless but he was a natural.

"She's perfect. She looks just like the both of you." He adjusted the swaddle sac around Ros's arms when she reached out and Great-Grandpa discovered something even more amazing. "Look! She's holding my hand!"

The room silently agreed not to tell him it was a reflex.

Over the moon, Dendup hugged Ros close and impulsively thrust the potted plant into Dalla's arms. "This is for you. It's a foxglove, so make sure the little one doesn't get into it."

"What? Where's my present?" Lux teased.

Dendup rolled his eyes and bestowed it on him: a hug.

"And I brought a few things for Roisin as well!" He reluctantly handed Ros off to her father so he could pick up the sack.

"A...few things?" Dalla repeated, giving Lux a side glance.

"This isn't everything. There's still some which need to be delivered."

"Sire, really, this is more than enough. Ros doesn't need every single -."

"I showed restraint. And besides, how can I say no to that face?"

Lux gazed down at his daughter. "You really can't."

Dalla had another concern: "This is restraint?" she whispered.

He nodded agreement. "We've created a monster."

While Dendup unloaded the sack and created an ever-growing pile of gifts on the table, Korkie leaned over to Soniee and whispered rather loudly: "Isn't that your warden?"

Dendup abandoned his task and spun around, only now noticing there were others sitting at the table.

"Oh dear. It appears I've crashed a wedding."

"Not really," Soniee risked speaking. "We're having a celebratory dinner and you're welcome to join."

She shouldn't have said anything. Once Dendup heard her voice his eyes went wide with recognition.

"My queen!" he bowed as low as he could and probably would have knelt had his knees been what they used to.

"No, no that's not necessary!" Soniee rushed forward to stop him before he fell. "I'm not a queen, sire. I'm just me."

"Just you?" He practically choked. "Miss Kira, er Mrs. … you're the rightful queen of the planet!"

Soniee racked her mind for something to say but what was there? Before she had to respond however she was saved by a hungry, cranky baby.

Ros cried and waved her little arms in indignation at being passed around like a bolo-ball and kept away from her mother's breast.

"It's way past her bedtime," Dalla made the parenting call. "Lux, let's go. Soniee, your Highness, if you'd help us carry these gifts?"

…

As Dalla predicted it took three people with arms piled high to carry all the gifts down the hall to the nursery.

"Maybe for Ros's birthday I should hire a gift-delivery service," Lux muttered darkly.

A gift fell from the top of Soniee's pile and she used the force to levitate the toy back into her arms.

"That won't be necessary as long as you have her fairy godmother," Dendup grinned.

"And that's all I'd like to be. I won't be her queen, or the woman whose throne she's guarding." Soniee looked Dendup in the eyes. "Ros will be my queen. I'm abdicating to her, permanently."

Lux stumbled, nearly dislodging his burden. "Can you really do that?"

Dendup nodded. "It is her crown to do with as she sees fit. Although are you sure? It is your birthright, your legacy."

"Well besides the fact that I'm supposedly dead, if the empire found out that I'm still alive... With my Force sensitivity and the history of my family…" She shook her head to clear it. "I would only bring more trouble to Onderon. I think I would be of more good to our planet if continued to work behind the scenes and -."

"But surely when all this blows over you can come back and take your rightful place…" Lux scrambled to change her mind.

"It's not just going to blow over, Lux!"

Dendup gave a look so imperious he silenced all the young people. "Very well, you may pass up ruling for this generation. The wardenship will continue to hold the throne for your heirs."

"Your Majesty, I had a son and I lost him. There is no guarantee that I will be able to carry another. And even if I did…" She looked pointedly at Lux.

Lux nodded slowly. "I don't like it. But I understand this is the safest choice for Onderon, and for all of us."

Dalla shared a look with him that was equal parts amazed and terrified. "We'll be her regents until she comes of age. Hopefully we can usher in a better world for her by that time."

"Be careful," Soniee warned her. "Lagos told us about the Imperial Academy trying to take Tracen. It'll be a thousand times worse for a royal child."

"We know. We've already begun to take precautions and we have a plan. That and I've come up with some … other methods to keep us safe."

The warning which had accompanied Dalla's present flashed into Soniee's mind but she tucked it away. "As long as it works. She's the future queen of Onderon, there's a target on her back."

"I'll help you two as long as I'm able." Dendup promised. "At least when I'm not spoiling her."

"Of course!" Soniee laughed. "But save a little for me please. I'd like the chance to spoil my goddaughter too. And I will always do whatever I can to protect her."


	31. The Serpent’s Power

**THE SERPENT'S POWER**

Soniee wasn't in a hurry to leave Onderon and specifically Blackhold. She had so enjoyed her time spent with family and friends. But the longer she and Korkie stayed, the more people who saw and recognized them, the greater risk they brought to the very people they most wanted to protect.

The plan was for Korkie to pack the last of their things from the room they had shared, while she went to the midwife's office and got that hypo. It would be a load off both their minds not to have to worry about any accidents. For now anyway. They hadn't yet discussed what the future might hold.

Dalla and Lux and Ros had promised to meet them at the docks for one last goodbye before they flew off. Only there was someone else to meet them when she and Korkie arrived.

A sailing ship had come in to the dock with the name "Beast's Ride" emblazoned on the side. A dark haired young man holding hands with an even younger blonde girl raced down the gangplank as soon as it was lowered. The couple made a bee-line for the new baby.

It took a moment for Soniee to realize that this had to be Dalla's baby brother, Cade. Of course she had seen how tall Emoth had grown and he was now married with his little son and another baby on the way. And she'd been told that the other half of Double Trouble had married Kayla's twin sister. Still, it really took seeing to believe the facts.

"So what did you decide to name her?" Cade was asking as Soniee drew nearer.

"Well, we couldn't agree on anything," Lux deadpanned. "So we just decided to go with Ship's Biscuit."

Dalla gave her husband a look as she reluctantly passed the baby to her uncle.

Cade grinned. "Cutest little ship's biscuit in the galaxy." He turned to let his wife have a look as well and she gushed.

Dalla informed them. "Her name is Roisin, after Mother."

Her brother gave her a more serious nod of approval before he inquired, "Aaand have you chosen her godparents yet? 'Cause Kor and I are doing pretty well so far with Jak. I think we could handle having a goddaughter as well."

Kora nodded enthusiastically. "One of each!"

It was then that Soniee and Korkie slipped in and joined the party. And it was Lux who said with a smile, "Actually we've already chosen her godparents."

Cade glanced up from his niece to see who had joined them and then his eyes grew wide. "But… you were dead! There was the explosion, and cave-in and the big state funeral and…"

Before he could allert half the planet to her true identity, Dalla spoke over his tirade. "We'd like to introduce you to Ros's godparents, Lor and Offree San Tekka."

"San… Tekka," Cade repeated, still staring at the couple.

"Very nice to meet you," Soniee grinned holding out her hands to take the baby from him. "And now may I please say goodbye to my goddaughter before we have to fly away?"

…

"Come to bed with me!" Korkie scowled. "It's supposed to be our honeymoon." He lifted her hair and kissed the back of her neck.

Soniee flinched as if it tickled. "I just want to finish this chapter." She tore her gaze away from the page for a moment and looked up at him with a repentant smile.

"Alright," he sighed. "I'll just be all alone in our cabin."

"No doubt dreaming about my eminent arrival," her eyes turned back to the book.

"You do know that eminent means soon?" He added.

"Mmhm," she mumbled.

He threw in the towel and left her to the story.

She sneaked a look at his back as he walked away down the corridor. It wasn't as if she wasn't thrilled to be reunited with her husband. It was a dream come true. It was just that she had gotten so used to being alone.

Five years was a long time to fly around the Galaxy on her own whims or those of her higher-ups in the rebel alliance. As a Fulcrum agent she had rarely shared this space with anyone. And yet when Fox had first acquired the B-7 freighter for her, it had become she and Korkie's wedding night suite.

It was their home until they settled in Encari. She had hoped Encari would feel like home, that they could raise their son there and be a real family. Maybe she had always known that it could never happen that way.

Then she had flown away from Korkie in this same ship. She had made the opposite journey her mother had made twenty years earlier and discovered the truth about her past.

She was a Kira, a Rash, a princess, a descendant of Freedon Nadd. She had made friends with Blackwells and Gerreras and Bonteris and mended ancient feuds. And then again she had gone into hiding in this very ship. But she had still been of some use to the cause of freedom from tyranny. Or at least she hoped she had.

It had been lonely sometimes out there in hyperspace. And in those times whether meaning to or not she had reached out into the Force and found the one thing that felt the most secure and the most like home. That thing, no matter where she found herself, was Korkie.

She wanted him. She needed him. She loved him. Still having the physical presence of another sentient being sharing this small collection of cabins and a corridor every hour of the day and night was something she was going to have to get used to.

Soniee looked again at the book in her hands. She already knew how it ended at least in part from looking at the chapter near the end which contained the wedding vows her namesake had written. She had also read the children's version of the story in the book that Dalla's mother had given to her mother when they were both young girls.

And yet even though she knew the gist of the thing and how it would work out, it was still an engrossing tale. It also made for a nice excuse for some alone time. She was thankful to Aunt Shara for allowing her to borrow it a little longer.

And then suddenly there was a man, standing before her with eyes like saucers. Eyes so familiar it left no question who he was.

"Uncle Sanjay?"

Sanjay Rash, or at least his force ghost, lit up like a sun.

 _"_ _Sanya! You know who I am?"_

Her brow creased as she closed the book and set it aside, "I think somehow I've always known that I would see you someday."

 _"_ _I meant to come much sooner!"_ He implored her forgiveness. _"I had dreams about you when you were a child. I thought at the time they were confused memories of your mother when she was growing up, but your eyes were never quite like hers."_

"I had dreams, too." She admited. "Full of unfamiliar places and people. I was never sure if it was the past or the present or the future I was seeing. My momma Ordo told me they were just dreams. There was nothing I could do about them anyway."

 _"_ _I should have gone looking for you. I should have found you and brought you home."_

Soniee frowned. She had thought she _was_ home. She had never known any differently. She wondered what would have happened if someone had tried to come and take her away. Surely Momma and Ba'buir would have fought to keep her.

 _"_ _I didn't know about my own powers then."_ He continued, trying to absolve his mistakes and drawing her from her tram of thought. _"If I had known…"_

"You didn't know." She mumbled.

 _"_ _And then when I… died and I discovered what I am or what I was rather,"_ he hurried on, _"you seemed fairly capable of taking care of yourself."_

Again Soniee nodded. There were questions she wanted to ask him about what happened after he died, but she didn't know if that would be too deeply philosophical for a first meeting or too personal. Instead she asked, "That would have been… shortly before I went to Coruscant?"

 _"_ _Yes!"_ He smiled, encouraged by her memory. _"I saw_ _the way you used your powers to help your friends and how you repelled the advances of that Bonteri character_." He huffed.

"It wasn't Lux's fault." She nearly laughed. Of course it hadn't been funny at all at the time.

 _"_ _Well, the important thing is that when it counted you had the power to do what was necessary."_

But Uncle Sanjay was wrong. "Not always."

 _"_ _I'm sorry?"_ he asked.

"I didn't…" she began and then stopped to steady herself before she gave whey to tears as she always did when she spoke of him aloud. "I didn't have the power to save my son."

 _"_ _But…"_ he gazed at her for a moment as if he had something to say and she nearly wanted to grab him and shake him before her uncle carried on with his narrative. _"He's alright. I was the one who had the privilege of taking him to his grandmother."_

Soniee's hands flew over her mouth as the emotion washed over her. "You took him to Momma?"

 _"_ _Oh well, my sister was thrilled to see him as was your… Ordo'buir, was it?"_ He fumbled with the Mandalorian pronunciation. _"But no, I was instructed to put him into the arms of Duchess Satine Kryze."_

"I'm so glad," she half sobbed and half laughed. "I've always wondered. You see, I never even got to hold him. I never thought I would ever…" She sniffed. "But then I have a goddaughter now. We've just come from meeting her. She's beautiful and she's…" Soniee stopped having just realized who she was talking to. "Lux and Dalla's"

 _"_ _Hmm."_ Sanjay Rash nodded. _"I was aware she was expecting. I am happy for them. A little princess?"_

"A future queen," Soniee informed him. "I've abdicated my title to her when she comes of age."

His eyebrows rose. She seemed to have actually surprised him. He cleared his throat. Was that even necessary for ghosts or perhaps just a habit from living? _"I can't say that I blame you. Although your grandmother would have been furious that you squandered your opportunity."_

She noticed he didn't mention where his mother ended up in the after life. Soniee changed the subject. "Aunt Shara is a grandmother now."

 _"_ _You…"_ He struggled to form the words but his smile was bittersweet. _"You call her Aunt?"_

"Of course, that's what she is. I'm so glad to have gotten to know her," then she added more carefully, "and my cousins."

He nodded emphatically. They weren't his but he was happy she had them, that she had found happiness _. "Tell me about them. I never wanted to pry but I've always been curious."_

Soniee hesitated. Oh well, what could it hurt. Maybe if she told him then he wouldn't be tempted to go and haunt them. "The two oldest boys are both married now. Kason and his wife are unable to have children but they're planning to adopt."

He listened avidly.

"Emoth and his wife are the couple who had the little boy."

 _"_ _A boy? The first Blackwell to carry on the family name!"_

"Well, no." She laughed. "Actually Emoth was convinced to take his wife's family name. Jak is the first _Bralykburn_ to carry on the family name."

Uncle Sanjay grinned. _"I'll bet ol' Jamos loved that."_

"Well, he got the first name. Jak is short for Jamos." She continued before he could dwell on the fact that Shara's first grandchild was named after his rival. "They're going to have a little girl in a couple of months."

 _"_ _A little playmate for Dalla's baby. I still can't believe she married Lux Bonteri but I suppose they are both from the Onderonian Noble families. Far better than if she had really been married to that Saw Gerrera."_ He gave her a strict stare. _"You weren't really considering going off with that savage?"_

"I was actually," she countered rebelliously. "But I couldn't have gone through with it. I had already said vows to Korkie. I thought for a time perhaps he regretted that and it would be better if we were free of each other, but as soon as I realized that he hadn't given up on me…"

 _"_ _And you've just renewed your vows? The two of you are together again?"_

There was a hitch in her breath as she choked back happy tears. "Elek. We are."

 _"_ _Then…"_ Perhaps he was regretting that he never got the chance to reunite with his wife, the love of his life. _"I won't keep you any longer. You should go to him."_

She nodded but she didn't move to leave him just yet. She knew this might be the only time she got to speak to him until… "Give Momma my love, and Oron, and… and all of them, when you see them again."

 _"_ _I-I don't know if I will,"_ he stammered. _"I don't know if they'll let me go back there."_

"They will. I know it." She assured him. "When you've finished the job they asked you to do." Soniee didn't know how she knew it, but she knew it.

He dithered a moment. _"I just wish I could…"_

And then maybe it was their combined power and will but when she stepped toward him arms outstretched he became corporeal enough to accept her embrace.

 _"_ _I love you, Sanya,"_ he whispered as he faded away.


	32. Isn’t She Lovely

**ISN'T SHE LOVELY**

How silly it was for him to think he loved Ahsoka. Now Lux knew only one female would ever truly capture his heart.

That female squirmed around on her playmat, nearly pushing off the adorable little headband her parents had put on her.

"It's just for a second, Ros!" Lux laughed and put the headband back in place. "We need a holo for Great-Grandpa Dendup since he gave you this outfit. Does Mommy have the cam?"

"Mommy has the cam," Dalla gave him a thumbs-up. "Now Dad needs to get out of the frame so I can take the holo."

He leaned back so she could take the holo but once Dalla hit the button, Ros got fed up with the headband and screeched.

Lux scooped up the baby and cuddled her while Dalla pulled up the holo. "Well we can't send him this one. She looks like she hates it."

"She _does_ hate it." He pulled the headband off Ros's head and she calmed somewhat. "At least she hates this thing. Do you think he'll notice if we send him a picture without it?"

"Probably not. He'll just marvel over her sweet little face anyway." Dalla set aside the cam and brushed Ros's curls aside with her finger. "Not a fan of headbands, sweetie? You got so upset you're all blotchy."

"Maybe we can pose her with some of the other things he sent." He gestured with his head to the enormous box they'd received from Dendup. "I think there's a stuffy-blanket-thing in there she likes."

Dalla held up a baby blanket with a stuffed fambaa's head. "I'm assuming the one she likes is the one she drooled on?"

"That's the one." Lux grabbed it in his other hand and danced it in front of Ros. "Look Ros, it's your blankie!"

Ros completely ignored it.

"Here," Dalla picked up their daughter from his lap and settled her on her own. "Use it to cover your face. She loves peek-a-boo."

Lux tossed the blanket on top of his head, tilted from side to side and then snatched it away. "Peekaboo!"

Ros squealed with delight and Lux quickly snapped a holo of the both of them.

"Is that one for Dendup?"

"Yes, and it's going on my desk as well." He turned the cam so she could see. "Look at that happy baby."

Dalla tickled her. "Best one in the galaxy."

She was. The more Lux looked at his daughter the more he was amazed how something so perfect could come from him and Dalla. "A blessing from heaven, this one."

"Now that Dendup has his holo are you ready to take her out to the docks? The whole crew is clamoring to see her."

"If we can find her coat in the middle of all this."

It took some doing to find Ros's coat and get her into it but they did. Lux held her up so she could see the water and the brylks and Mommy and Daddy's friends who were so excited to see her. She seemed especially interested in a Rodian man with a ... holocam.

"Dalla," Lux nudged her. "Is that guy…?"

Dalla followed Ros's gaze, then swore and plucked the baby from her husband's arms, using her coat to cover her. "The kriffer is!"

The paparazzo knew he'd been caught. He didn't bother stashing his camera before he turned tail and ran like his life depended on it, because it did.

He wouldn't have gotten away but he might have reached the end of the docks if he hadn't made the worst mistake. The paparazzo ran right into the path of the crew of the _Southern Whore._

Ship's nurse Gretchen swung her medical bag into his solar plexus so hard she knocked him clear off his feet. One of the able seamen tackled him down and shoved a knee into his back.

"Hey!" The paparazzo protested. "Get off me! I wasn't doing anything illegal!"

"You wanna try that with the baby's parents?" Gretchen crossed her arms. "Don't try it with me either."

Lux caught up to them and took the place of the able seaman, shoving the paparazzo a little harder than he had to.

"Ow! What gives?"

"What gives is you didn't have permission to take my daughter's holo."

"I'm just trying to make a living here!"

"Then maybe try taking holos of weddings, or graduations, or something less skeevy than other people's babies," Dalla snapped. She'd handed Ros off to Gretchen so she could pick up the fallen holocam.

"What are you doing?" When he didn't get an answer the paparazzo squirmed in an attempt to get free. "What's she doing with my cam?!"

Lux dug his knee in a little harder. "Hold still."

 _"_ _She_ is deleting the unauthorized holos of her daughter," Dalla calmly replied.

"What the - you can't do that! Those are mine! That's destruction of property or something." He looked around to the glowering crewmen. "Are you seeing this?"

"The only thing I can see is this adorable little nugget." Gretchen bounced Ros on her hip. "Everybody else?"

The crew nodded their agreement.

"Oh, come on!"

Everyone completely ignored him.

"I'm sorry, okay? I won't sell the holos."

"That's not up for discussion," Lux said. "Dal, are you done deleting them?"

"Almost," Dalla kept clicking through the cam. "There are more here than I … hold on a kriffing minute." She turned the cam so Lux could see the viewscreen and zoomed in on the unfortunate subjects. "Is that the Organas?"

Lux squinted. "Yes it is."

Both of them glared at the paparazzo. "Why were you stalking the Organas?"

"I wasn't stalking them, I was doing my job. Why do you guys care anyway? It's not you."

"Because from the looks of these holos, you didn't have their permission to take Leia's." Dalla scrolled a little farther. "And they're timestamped yesterday. Why didn't you sell the holos of the Organas before coming here?"

Lux was putting it together as well. "Because you needed ours first."

The paparazzo stayed quiet until Lux shoved him again. "Okay, fine! One of the tabloids wants holos of your kid and their kid next to each other. I thought it would be faster to get them separately and edit them together. 'Lux Bonteri's incestuous lovechild and trueborn heir, look how much they look alike,' y'know?"

This gained the incredulous stares of every person there.

"What?"

"Throw him in the brig," Dalla ordered. "I'll send the Marines to formally arrest him after we comm the Organas."

"Don't worry about him." Gretchen handed Ros back to her and once she was relieved of the baby, crossed her arms and glared. "We've got it under control."

"The brig?" The paparazzo stammered. "I didn't do anything illegal! You can't put me in there!"

"Save it for the judge," Gretchen snapped. "You'll need all the luck you can get. He's the baby's grandfather."

…

 _"_ _I didn't even notice he was there!"_ The pitch of Breha Organa's voice increased with every word. She looked to her husband. _"Bail, did you?"_

He shook his head. _"Bonteri, you said you have this man in custody?"_

"We do and we'll delete the holos as soon as we're sure we won't need them for evidence," Lux replied. "As for right now, the most pressing concern is this tabloid request. If they're going to run this story we won't be able to meet for any purpose without risking the paparazzi capturing something incriminating."

 _"_ _What can we do? We can't take back the story that Leia is yours and Soniee's without them speculating about her origins again."_ Bail snapped his mouth shut like he'd said too much.

Lux had already gotten the distinct sense that wherever Leia came from, it was dangerous as all Dxun and he didn't want to know more. "We only have to make sure the girls aren't together when we meet."

 _"_ _Leia's accompanied us to all our political functions including those where you've been in attendance. It won't be easy to explain why she suddenly isn't there or why Roisin isn't with you to learn by example. What could have changed between then and now?"_

"...Me." Dalla said struck with sudden inspiration. "We haven't attended any of your meetings since the wedding. We don't have to take back their story; we can take it and run with it to explain why the girls aren't together. When they ask we'll tell them that your wife doesn't want you to see your bastard now that she's given you a trueborn child."

It wouldn't be a long shot. Wives sent away their husbands' bastards every day. But still… "Dal, you know they'll crucify you in the press."

"Like we all haven't already been crucified?" She rolled her eyes. "If I can take kingslayer, I can take evil stepmother."

The Organas looked like they couldn't quite believe their ears. Then Breha Organa spoke: _"I wish it didn't have to be like this."_

"It's the only way to protect the story that Leia is Lux's bastard, and she's safest that way. My only regret is what I'll have to say about your little girl."

 _"_ _We'll tell her the truth,"_ Bail promised. _"That it's all pretend and Lady Blackwell is only trying to protect her."_

"Thank you, Senator Organa."

 _"_ _No, thank you both. If you hadn't discovered this I don't know what would have happened."_

...

"I don't want to think about it either," Dalla whispered over Ros's crib as they put her down for her nap. "We're barely involved with Organa's project but if the Empire catches us at anything." She closed her eyes. "I'm not worried about us. They'll just kill us. But her…"

Lux tightened his grip on the crib rails. He'd had the same thought and they'd both come to the same conclusion: the day the Empire took their little girl away to poison her mind was the day they died and their souls went to Dxun.

When he spoke it was quietly and with great gravity. "A few weeks ago, you asked me if any of my advisors had allergies."

Dalla startled for just a second. "I wanted to know in case I had to make food for -."

"They do."

Her gaze rose from the baby and met his.

"They have medication allergies as well," he said. "Let me get a pen and flimsi so I can write them down for you."

"You don't have to connect yourself to this Lux." Dalla would give him every chance to step away from this possible blood on his hands. "If worse comes to worse you can say I acted of my own free will and let me go down for it."

"I won't." An awkward beat later he elaborated. "Ros needs both her parents. Now, let me go get that pen."


	33. Bralykburn Family Reunion

**BRALYKBURN FAMILY REUNION**

Suzelle Hadassa Bralykburn was named for the grandmother on her mother's side and her great-grandmother on her father's side. Her parents had never met either of these women but had grown up hearing of their strength and grace and beauty. Suza, which they had taken to calling Jak's baby sister, was surely the most beautiful human baby ever in recorded galactic history.

Jak had been a cute baby as had Roisin. They had all the adorable fuzzy hair and the new baby smell and the sweet coos and momma's eyes and papa's nose and all the rest, but Suza was exceptional. She had a perfect complexion and her lips made a perfect little bow. She looked in fact like a porcelain doll, especially in the arms of her not quite eighteen year old mother.

"Pretty as a picture," Emoth beamed at his wife and daughter.

After which comment Emoth's baby sister grabbed Kayla by the hand and half led half dragged her to see the painting that was hanging in the little girl's bedroom. "You look just like Momma and Grandmomma!"

Little Shara was already three years old in the painting but there was a resemblance to the young dark haired mother and child in her arms. Kayla with her artist's eye was more focused on the brushstrokes. She reached up with her free hand to gently touch the canvas. "Maybe someday I'll have time to paint again."

That didn't seem likely while she was taking care of two babies under the age of one. Jak was learning to walk and curious about everything and Emoth wanted to finish his technology degree on the holonet. So that meant she had to take up the slack when he was busy. At least they had an amazing support team at the Hold.

Right now however she wasn't going to worry about any of that. Suza may have been a surprize just like her brother before her but they and their father were Kayla's everything. She loved them more than she had believed possible and she couldn't wait to show off her little family to the whole northern sea region.

That wouldn't be happening until after the freeze and even then all those concerned parties agreed that the growing Bralykburn family should not make a journey all the way out to the Keep with two young children. They would celebrate Emoth's twentieth birthday at the Hold along with Jamos Kaylon's first. Then in honor of Kayla and her twin's eighteenth birthday in the spring they would all go to Harkon Hall which was only about a day's journey.

The Hall had the added benefit of a lesser population of Blackwells at least in Papa Hugo's estimation. It was bad enough that his twin daughters had both married into that family. At least one of them got to keep her own name and foisted said name upon her husband and children.

It had been far too long since Hugo had gotten to see his grandson and hated the chance to spoil the boy rotten on his first birthday. Well, he would make up for that and he would get to hold his beautiful new granddaughter for the first time. Not to mention meeting at Harkon Hall meant that he would be able to spoil Talia's little ones as well.

Maia and Fiona reminded Hugo of when his own twins were small. Though with their red-headed tempers and Harkon spitfire energy they could be hard to keep up with even for the seasoned veteran. Little Truman at three was more serious and reserved. Most likely because his big sisters took all of the attention.

Talia and Ephraim took them on voyages whenever possible and they had visited Bralyk Keep several times but they always came back home to Harkon Hall at the end of the season. Adria Kretash Harkon was never a big one to travel and even more so after the death of both of her daughters during the clone wars. Those grandbabies were her one true joy and she treasured every moment she got to spend with them. If she occasionally called Maia, Miranda, well that was understandable. And Fiona looked so much like Elinor when she was that age. Well they both did really.

There was something else that kept Ephraim closer to the Hall now as well. He had taken an apprentice who in the last two years had made excellent progress in both the design and construction of all kinds of water worthy crafts. Even if the title of Lord Harkon passed down to his son Truman who they were all sure would carry it nobly, the business of ship building might very well transfer into the capable hands of Cornel Blackwell.

This was yet another sore point with Hugo Bralykburn. The boy who had lived after an early delivery just months after his Suzelle had died in the delivery of their with their twins, was said to be cognitively slow and yet he excelled in this traditionally Harkon family trade. It was just another way that the Blackwell family were trying to get in on his glory.

Emoth for one was excited to see what his younger brother had been working on. And Cade wanted to consult his cousin and brother in law about some upgrades that might be made to his dear _Beast's Ride_.

Kora had spent most of the first year of their marriage explaining to him exactly how the ship might be made more comfortable. Less like the bachelor pad it had been is what she meant. And in the preparations to bring their nephew and niece aboard he had to agree that there were some safety issues that needed to be addressed. Not that he and Kora were planning on having any little ones of their own any time soon.

"I got the hypo," Kora explained to Adria when the Harkon matriarch asked when Jak and Suza might expect a little cousin.

Kayla took her twin's hand in hers conspiratorially. "And so did I. Emoth and I agreed to wait a bit before we try for a third."

Adria looked disappointed. Before she could utterly dissolve, Emoth attempted to resolve the situation. "Would you like to hold the baby?" He placed his daughter into the woman's arms and she brightened instantly.

"She is a pretty little thing." Adria cradled the infant but it was a tough call which one of them was the more fragile. "And she'll grow up with Dalla's Rosy for a playmate."

There was a snort of derision from Hugo's corner of the room as if the future queen of the planet had no place in the same galaxy with _his_ granddaughter. Still he managed to keep his opinion to himself out of respect for the Lady of the Hall and her delicate sensibilities.

"Truman and Jak are able to play together now," Kora attempted to shift the conversation. It wasn't a completely true observation. The little boys were playing near each other on the floor in the midst of the gathering. Truman would get decent stack going when his cousin toddled over to 'help' and send the construction crashing to the floor.

Cornel sat with the little ones, more comfortable there than having to make conversation with the adults. He showed Truman how to rebuild and assisted Jak with a stack of his own. The twins sat on either side of him.

"Did your little brother and sister knock down your buildings too?" Fiona asked him.

Cornel nodded. "They got better when they got a little bigger."

"The twins have each other of course," Kayla smiled.

Kora squeezed her hand. "Just like we did."

Adria's gaze was somewhere far away as if she had forgotten the baby in her arms. "And just like Miranda had Dalla…"

A shriek of a gasp made them all jump and turn in the direction of Maia who had been sitting quietly all this time with a book in her lap.

"And what's got you all worked up?" Ephraim asked his daughter with a laugh.

Maia who had obviously been consumed by the story and not paying a bit of attention to what anyone else was doing or saying burst out, "Sanya's at Madam Korina's and she's going to prove that she's equal to any of her crew!"

There was silence in the room as Talia almost too calmly rose from her chair and went to her eldest daughter's side. "Will you show me that book please?"

It was not the children's version that Ephraim had read to the girls nearly every night since they were little. This was the full unabridged novel that had somehow found its way into the hands of the avid ten-year-old reader.

Talia closed the book and still with an effort at forced calm in front of their audience, requested, "I think we need to have a little talk."

Maia rose obediently with a soft, "Aye, Momma," and followed her mother out of the room. Fiona hurriedly rushed after them not to be left out or leave her twin to a scolding.

Once they were out of sight Cade burst out into a fit of laughter and Kora gave him an elbow in the ribs.

None of this, it seemed, had broken poor Adria out of her tram of thought. "Of course their friendships are important," she mused, "but what's even more important is that they make the proper matches when they come of age."

"Addy, there'll be plenty of time for…" Glover began but his wife just waved away the comment.

"Truman is just a couple of years older than Rosy and…"

Hugo put his foot down. "Now hold on there!"

Kayla, whether shielding her daughter from the coming confrontation or worried that the older woman might bargon the infant away as well, rushed over and took Suza back into her own embrace.

The Lady of the Hall glared at the Lord of the Keep with a shadow of her old imperious nature. "Marrying a Harkon to the royal line…"

Hugo glared right back. "I will not have my grandson passed off to Dalla Blackwell's spawn for the sake of a crown!"

Glover stepped between his wife and his friend. "No one is suggesting shipping Truman off to Blackhold."

"Besides it'll be ages and ages till the babies are old enough," Kora added going to her father and encouraging him to back down.

Ephraim looked down the hall the direction Talia had taken the girls. "It'll be far sooner we'll have to worry about the twins."

"It's a shame the Blackwells didn't have any boys around their age," Adria mumbled.

Hugo growled and Cornel moved from his place on the floor to cower behind his older brother, wanting to stay well out of the discussion.

Kayla spoke up with her sweet voice of reason. "There was a sweet boy just about their age visiting Blackhold a couple of months ago."

"Oh, who was this?" Glover asked, grasping at straws.

"He was the nephew of Ros's godparents." Kayla smiled but Emoth and Cade both shook their heads in warning. She had forgotten she wasn't really supposed to mention Ros's godparents.

…

Parsecs away the hatch of a Mandalorian transport lowered onto the surface of the planet Kalevala. Lagos had been hoping to be welcomed by her own parents and clan but after the death of her uncle and her own decision to side with the Duchess even after the New Mandalorian government had been discredited and the puppet Almec brought to power, she had been all but named _cuy'val dar_ by the family. That might have also had something to do with her unwed pregnancy or the subsequent marriage to an AWOL clone. At least they hadn't gone so far as to hand she and her husband over to the Empire. Perhaps that would have only exposed the connection that her clan didn't want to admit. Or just maybe they had some shred of compassion in the light of what the consequences would surely be for their only daughter?

Tracen didn't understand all of the reasons he had overheard for their coming to this place. He didn't particularly like it either. This new planet might have still been in the Mandalore system but it wasn't home. It wasn't Encari with Uncle Korkie right next door.

He had hoped that when they went to meet Aunt Soniee on Onderon that she might come back with them. Then Uncle Korkie would be happy and they could all be a family. But for whatever reason they weren't even supposed to talk about Aunt Soniee. And now Uncle Korkie had gone away with her. And here they were on a foreign planet where his grandparents didn't even want to acknowledge his existence!

Someone however had come to meet them at the space dock. A whole group of beskar'gam clad Mandos were marching toward their transport. Lagos removed her buy'ce and pulled off her son's as well as she positioned him in front of her and smoothed down his blond hair as if to present him to these newcomers.

The man who stood in front of the rest was tall with broad shoulders. When he doffed his own helmet and nodded for the rest of those behind him to do the same, there was something familiar about him. He was blond as were all of the girls that were with him. They could only have been his wife and daughters. The woman next to him smiled. She was the only one not completely encased in her iron skin. Her belly was almost as big as Ms. Dalla's had been when they had arrived on Onderon.

Tracen looked up at his mother and then back when the man spoke.

" _Kaysh cuyir Amis ad?_ " He asked in Mando'a but it wasn't quite a question.

" _Elek_ ," Lagos answered. She seemed hesitant to give anymore information and her trepidation passed to the boy who stood before her.

Tracen glanced up at her again as the man bent to his level. " _Gar buir ru'cuy ner vod_."

"He's my father!" Tracen suddenly spat back in Basic, pointing at Fox who had followed he and his mother down the gangplank with Veeka.

The man stood again, chastened and switched to Basic, also, "Of course he is, Son." And then as if to prove that he meant no harm. He went to Fox and held out his hand in welcome. " _Aliit ori'shya tal'din_."

Fox shook the proffered hand with the same hesitancy as his wife but the big blond man waved away their worries.

"You adopted my brother Amis's son, ner vod. You are all welcome here." A smile spread over his face as he opened his arms to gather Fox and Lagos and both their children into the circle with his family. "I am Orar Lok. These are my daughters. You can learn their names later. I won't cause you to remember all of them now. And this is my wife, Saviin."

Orar pulled the woman forward and patted her belly. "This one will finally be a boy. Count on Amis to get that right the first time."

" _Vor entye_ ," Lagos practically sobbed with relief.

"Come," the woman, Saviin said, smiling. "We'll get you settled. It must have been a long trip."

The girl cousins were already pulling Veeka forward and asking her all sorts of questions but Tracen stayed near his parents. It seemed like this was where they would be staying. He wondered if it would ever feel like home.


	34. What’d I Miss?

**WHAT'D I MISS?**

Ladies and gentlemen, you coulda been anywhere in the world tonight

But you're here with us in Iziz

Are you ready for a cabinet meeting?

The issue on the table...well, that's for you to find out!

...

"Isn't she wonderful?" Dendup raved and patted the top of Roisin's head as she colored on the floor at his feet. "She's an absolute doll."

"She loves coming to see Great-Grandpa," Lux held out his arms to the two-year-old. "Ros, come to Daddy!"

Rosin looked up to her father, then to the king, and grinned. "Joo box?" she asked.

"Juice box?" Dalla repeated. "Ros, are you trying to get a bribe from Great-Grandpa?"

Roisin grinned.

"You are!" Lux cried with mock scandal. "Dalla, we've got a little Lady on our hands already."

"Salt gods help us if she's figured out bribes by two." Dalla shook her head.

Dendup laughed. He was firmly on Roisin's side. "Let the little princess have a juice box."

"Where's the solidarity, Your Highness?" Lux asked. "Aren't you supposed to back us up?"

"Not when it interferes with spoiling my great-grandchild."

Of course he wasn't really Roisin's great-grandfather, but the old man had essentially adopted Lux a long time ago. And the way his face lit up whenever he saw Ros … well, who were they to take such joy from him? If Dendup wanted to call them his grandchildren, then salt gods bless him.

"Juice boxes aside, when would you like to begin the meetings tomorrow?" Dalla asked.

"About midmorning should do," Dendup grabbed the juice box from a service droid and gave it to a grinning Roisin. "That'll give her plenty of time to wake up."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Your Highness, but she's staying with Kason and Rayala. You'll have to spoil her another day."

Dendup sighed. "Very well. Just you wait until that day comes. Until then, why don't the three of us have some wine?"

"That sounds excellent." Lux always liked a good bottle of wine.

"Thank you, but I'll pass." Dalla held out her hand for Ros. "Come on, sweetie. You can watch a holo after your bath."

"Joo box?"

"No, no more juice boxes. You've had enough already." She took Ros's hand and led her daughter down the hall toward their rooms.

"Son, they're beautiful," Dendup said once the ladies were gone. "I know you were nervous about this marriage, but I believe it's turned out wonderfully."

"So do I." If it meant he got to be Ros' father, he wouldn't have it any other way.

"I knew you were going to be alright when I saw the family holostill on your desk." Dendup smirked, remembering something else. "Or, maybe when I picked up your comlink and saw those messages from your wife."

Lux turned red from embarrassment. "I thought we'd agreed to pretend that never happened."

"I'll never be able to forget it!" He laughed. "When are you two going to give me more great-grandchildren? From the looks of those messages I'm wondering why I don't have more."

"Is spoiling Ros not enough for you?" He teased. "We're talking about it. We do need to have another child to secure the succession for House Blackwell. And now that Ros is two, we've been talking about it a little more. Maybe it's time. However -" he pointed at Dendup with mock accusation. "Remember that patience is a virtue in these matters!"

Just then Lux's comlink buzzed.

Dendup's smirk returned. "Maybe you need to tell that to your wife."

Lux rolled his eyes and checked it. "Hold your dalgos, sire. All she's saying is that she wants me to come to our rooms immediately. She must be having trouble getting Ros to settle down."

"Or maybe she's got the child to sleep." Dendup waved him out the door, laughing. "Godspeed, young man! Get me another great-grandchild!"

…

To Dendup's disappointment, and everyone else's relief, there were no children present at the meetings the next morning. Instead Roisin and Ephraim and Talia Harkon's three children had been dropped off with Kason and Rayala.

"Are you sure they'll be alright? They're outnumbered two to one." he asked. He couldn't shake the mental image of Kason as the little boy who'd been thrown into the dungeons alongside him, even if he was all grown up and married now.

Talia waved his worries away. "Kason's good with kids and Rayala's even better. They've got it covered. Besides, they need the practice."

"And they've got Werda and Myat to help. They're fine." Lux said. "And since we know they're in good hands, the rest of us can enjoy a child-free day."

"Hallelujah," Ephraim grinned and raised his water glass for a mini toast.

"Since we don't need to worry about them, we can focus on business." Dalla booted up her datapad. "The northern summit is scheduled for midsummer, and during that we'll be discussing trade procedures, new fishing routes…"

"Your Highness, is there anything you'd particularly like for us to go over?" Lux asked.

"I think your itinerary covers everything," Dendup replied. "If I think of something, I'll let you all know. What's next?"

They didn't get a chance to go over what was next. A militiaman entered the meeting room and bowed to the assembly before saying: "Sire, an unregistered freighter just docked in the spaceport. Its pilot is demanding to know the nature of this meeting and why he wasn't invited."

"Invited?" Dendup sputtered. "Who is this?"

Lux rested his forehead in his palm. "I think I know."

Dalla closed her eyes. "I _know_ I know."

Dendup didn't need to know anything else. "Patch him through, Commander."

The commander nodded and booted up the holoprojector at the end of the table.

"Do you think he's in a good mood, or a bad mood?" Ephraim asked while they waited for the device to connect.

"Pray for a good mood," Lux said and straightened up. "Otherwise, all Dxun is about to break loose in three...two…"

Saw Gerrera's image materialized over the projector. _"Took you long enough!"_

"One," Dalla sighed.

Dendup grabbed the fambaa by its horns. "Mr. Gerrera, to what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?"

 _"_ _Pleasure,"_ Saw scoffed. _"What kind of pleasure could it be, when you didn't even let me know you were holding these meetings?"_

"How were we supposed to let you know?" Lux asked. "We didn't know where you were or how to contact you."

Saw just noticed him then. _"Bonteri?"_

Lux remained calm and composed. "Saw. It's been a long time."

 _"_ _It's been that way for a reason. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back on Coruscant polishing Vader's boots?"_

"Saw!" Dalla's outburst was loud and immediate.

 _"_ _Dalla?"_ He'd been too absorbed with Lux to realize who was sitting next to him. _"Why are you here? Since when do northerners come down to the palace?"_

"It's a family affair." She placed her left hand over her husband's. "Unless you commed us just to yell at us, why don't you say why you decided to grace Onderon with your presence?"

Saw glowered at all of them for a second but finally the silence broke. _"We took down a slavery ring and I've got the victims aboard. Would have taken them somewhere else but there's a pregnant girl aboard. She's gonna pop any time now and we need to get her somewhere safe to deliver. I couldn't think of anywhere better."_

"You made the right decision." Dendup said. "Where are you taking the refugees? And is the girl going to the medcenter?"

 _"_ _She's not. We're taking her to the ladies' dorm."_

"Where's that?" Lux asked.

 _"_ _Down in the catacombs, where it's been for the last five years."_

"The catacombs?" Lux repeated, eyes enormous. "Salt gods, what are you doing taking a pregnant woman into the catacombs?"

 _"_ _Why not?"_ Saw scoffed.

"We all felt the darkness down there. Ahsoka told you that it was dangerous, and what happened five years ago only proves that. And you want to have someone give birth in the middle of that? No! No one goes in the tunnels."

 _"_ _Are you afraid of ghosts?"_ Saw taunted. _"They worked fine as a base last time, and they'll work now."_

Lux was about to fire off a reply which could have only inflamed the situation when help arrived from one of the more unlikely of sources. "All talk of ghosts aside, you can't take a pregnant woman to give birth in a dark, airless space," Talia announced. "Take her and the other refugees to Kason and Rayala's headquarters, and we'll go from there."

Saw stared at the older woman for a fraction of a second. _"You don't have a say here."_

"When it comes to fellow mothers, I do," Talia shot back. "Since the young woman in question isn't here to speak for herself, I'll speak for her. She's terrified, and any day now she's going to push a baby out of her body. That's not pleasant, and I can confirm that because I've pushed three babies out of mine. That makes me an expert, and in my expert opinion I couldn't have done it in some underground tunnel which may or may not be haunted. Dalla, what about you?"

Dalla shook her head.

"There. So, you will take this young lady to the refugee headquarters and we'll meet her there. We will assess her medical needs, we will come up with some kind of birth plan, and we will _not_ force her to give birth in a crypt!" Talia snapped. "Want to argue with my three experience points?"

Saw glared at her but he said nothing.

"We'll meet in a secure, aboveground location," Dalla compromised. "The old safehouse for the rebellion is still empty and only the three of us know where it is."

She must have known she was the only person here who could get him to agree to anything. Saw replied with a gruff, but markedly softer. _"Fine."_

…

The first thing Lux thought when he walked through the safehouse doors was that it was too quiet. He'd never seen the place completely empty; it wasn't even possible with all the rebels living there. Now it was just him, a dripping faucet, and the ghosts.

There, along the wall - that was Dono's favorite chair, where she sat and silently (or not so silently) judged everyone's outfits. On the other side was the outlet where Hutch plugged in his computer to wreck HoloNet havoc. Was this his designated spot on the couch? It had to be, because Steela's spot was right next to it and it directly faced the corner Ahsoka kept to…

A lump rose in Lux's throat just thinking of Ahsoka. Was she another ghost of this place or was she out there in the galaxy somewhere? Did she know he'd searched for her? He had to believe his efforts had failed because Ahsoka hadn't wanted to be found, not that there was no one left to find.

"Doesn't it feel like yesterday?" Dalla's voice sounded like it was far away even though she was only in the doorway. "I'm half expecting Dono to tell me my earrings don't match my dress."

"...They're all gone."

Dalla said nothing but made her way to him.

"They're gone and the Empire's burned down the jungles. They might not be physically here now but they'll come eventually. Steela and Dono and Hutch …"

"They did _not_ die for nothing. Because of them -."

"Because of them what, the Republic won another system to keep on track with their plan to turn into the Empire?"

"Because of them you are alive and I am not Sanjay Rash's plaything!"

"It was Ahsoka who really saved us," Lux turned back to Ahsoka's corner. "She was the one who trained us, who turned us into an army. And now she's gone too."

"Lux…"

"She's disappeared! When I heard she left the Order, and then after the Purge, I looked for her. I sent out investigators, I scoured the HoloNet, I searched myself when I could but everything came up empty. She was just gone. Right now she could be in hiding, or in Imperial custody, or in the ground and I can't stand the thought that something's probably happened to her. I kept looking until the day I…" he realized who he was speaking to and stopped in his tracks.

"The day you what?"

Lux closed his eyes. "The day I commed you at your brother's wedding."

Dalla blinked, stricken. "You were looking for Ahsoka the day you proposed to me?"

Lux didn't answer.

"Is that what you were thinking? 'Looks like I can't find Ahsoka, guess I'll go propose to Dalla.' Lux I think I'm...I thought you…" She closed her eyes. "Gods, I'm so stupid!"

"You thought I what?"

"It doesn't really matter, does it? She's been gone ten years and you still love her. But I thought you would respect me, as your friend, not to make a mockery of me like that."

"It was a mistake. I know that now."

"If Ahsoka turned up tomorrow, what would you do?"

Lux turned red. "I swore I would be faithful to my wife and the mother of my child. Contrary to what everyone else says I keep my promises. I thought you knew that."

"I guess we don't know much of anything about each other," she replied icily.

"Not surprising since we thought about actually being married for what, a few hours?" He shout back.

 _"_ _I_ thought a lot. And I thought that it wouldn't be like this for us. I thought that even though we didn't love each other we would at least try to be happy together instead of holding onto old flames and going behind each other's backs —."

Lux pulled back as if slapped. "You think so little of me that you think I would take a lover and show my daughter that this is how a man treats his wife? How her husband should treat her?"

"I know you haven't been with another woman."

"But you believe I would if that woman was Ahsoka?" He huffed and stormed to the other side of the room. "Gods, what an insult."

"Where are you going?"

"You want to be shouting at each other when Saw walks in?" He snapped. "I can't make any promises if I keep talking to you."

"Fine!"

The silence which ensued was a thousand times louder than the initial. It wasn't until the door creaked signaling someone was about to enter that they even looked in each other's direction again.

Saw Gerrera entered the safehouse with a blaster drawn in one hand and the other holding a little girl about twelve.

"You came alone," he said and almost begrudgingly holstered the blaster.

Lux skipped mentioning they'd agreed to meet alone. "You were expecting a gunfight and you brought a kid? How exactly were you planning to keep her safe?"

"She's safest here with me. The blaster was because I can't trust you with anything."

"Saw, it's been thirty seconds since you walked in," Dalla sighed.

"Thirty too many," Saw mumbled and shot one last look at Lux before turning to Dalla. "Wasn't expecting to see you here. Aren't you usually sailing?"

"The sea's frozen and politics wait for no one." She directed her attention to the young girl and asked more to her than Saw: "Who's your shadow?"

The girl looked at Dalla like she had two heads and said nothing.

"She's okay," Saw said to the child and then spoke for her. "Her name's Jyn and she's my daughter."

Dalla raised an eyebrow to ask where he'd acquired the child but he didn't answer.

"Look, Dalla, I want to get the former slaves sorted and talk to Dendup about -."

"Dendup isn't meeting with you," Lux interrupted. "You'll talk to us, as his emissaries, exclusively."

Saw's somewhat pleasant mood evaporated immediately and Dalla jumped back in to defuse the situation. "We thought it would be a good idea to house the slaves at Kason and Rayala's center. Hide them in plain sight, as it were, and there are medical facilities for the pregnant girl."

He huffed. "It's not the catacombs but it beats this place."

"Glad that's settled." She gave a terse nod to both Saw and Lux. "We should go now. I don't want those people exposed any longer than necessary."

She led the charge out of the room, leaving the men and Jyn to file out after her.

"Why come home now?" Lux asked when they made their way out. "I thought you said you weren't coming back while the Empire was still around."

"I didn't want to," Saw grunted and pulled Jyn out the door.


	35. Layette

**LAYETTE**

Rayala loved the chance to babysit for little Ros. She was fully on board with the decision she and her husband had made to come down to Iziz and continue the work with the gardens and orchards. In the past few years they had not only made the charity organization self sustainable but they were also able to sell their surplus produce and use the profits to make further updates to the tunnels and facilities.

Settling here in Iziz, making a life together as husband and wife, had been incredible. She and Kason were very happy together. Still, she missed life at Blackhold with all the brothers and cousins, Lana directing everything, working with Shara in the greenhouse and the kitchen, and the babies. Jak, Ros, and little Suza were so precious.

Cybele and Thias were content to sail around on their ship. Rayala missed her sister, too. The one thing she really couldn't get past was the idea of being a mother herself. There was a look Kason got in his eyes whenever he saw her care for the children that came through the mission. He wanted a child as much as she did and they could never have one together.

They had considered in vitro fertilization, the idea being that she could carry their child and that he or she might carry at least one of their DNA. But it seemed such a long, unsure, and expensive process. Neither of them really thought it necessary that their child be related to either of them by blood. They had seen so many children come through the mission who had lost either one or both of their parents. Most had relatives that they were able to be placed with as a part of the relocation process.

As much as Rayala had always hated flimsiwork and the effort and concentration it took to do research on a datapad for hours, this was a project she could devote herself to. She would much rather be out in the fresh air and warm soil and sunshine. She just kept reminding herself that if she could figure this out she could one day teach her son or daughter to enjoy these things as well. So she and Kason did everything they could to find the most reputable adoption agencies. Some would not even consider placing a child with a mixed species couple. Others required thousands and thousands of credits for processing. Still others had strict requirements for the kind of home that the child would be brought into.

Kason and Rayala no longer lived in the tunnels with the refugees that they helped on a daily basis. They had a little house with all the childproofing and safety devices installed. It had a nursery. Though since they weren't partial to the idea of taking an infant or an older child, they had to be somewhat flexible with what sort of furniture they would need to provide. They weren't even picky about what species their future child would be. Ray knew she would love a human child as much as a Togruta. Dxun, she would take a Kel Dor baby if that's what the salt gods decided to bless them with.

The documents were signed. The home study was successfully accomplished. All they had to do was wait.

When the Harkons arrived with their twin girls and little Truman and then Lux and Dalla had dropped off Ros, Rayala was in seventh heaven. She told them all that Auntie Ray was going to take them to the orchard later to pick jogans and they would make a pie. The older girls were a great help with the younger two. Though she did have to keep an eye on Maia who always seemed to want to slip away and see all of the new and interesting sites the big city of Iziz had to offer.

They were all enjoying the pleasant weather and the shade of the orchard trees. Ros seemed to want to stick a juice box straw directly into the fruit to get at the juice as she had seen in a holo ad. Truman wanted to throw the hard, not quite ripe fruits like one if his athletic heroes. Fiona was able to keep her brother in check with Uncle Kason while Rayala enlisted Maia to help her set up a picnic under the trees. That was when she heard the comm chime.

"Hi Talia," Rayala smiled and looked back at the others. "Look, girls, Truman. It's your momma. They're doing fine. We were just about to have lunch."

" _Aye. Good. Do you think you could come back to the center?_ " Talia asked.

Rayala shrugged and looked to Kason who was bringing the others for the meal. "I'm sure I could." He answered. "Why?

" _It's Saw Gerrera_." Talia raised her eyebrows as if she disbelieved her own words. _"He's managed to free some slaves and one of the girls is pregnant. She's a Twi'lek, very young. Looks like the baby will be coming very soon. He needed to find a safe place for her deliver before they move on. I was thinking you could provide her with some of your adoption research?_ "

"Saw Gerrera's back?" Kason was shocked.

Rayala gave him a silencing glance. "We'd be glad to help her."

"Of course we would." Kason agreed. "If she needs anything at all let us know. We have… baby things…"

"And no use for them yet. So we'd be glad to share anything that we have." Rayala finished for him with what she hoped was a gracious smile.

" _I'll tell them. Thanks you two. And thanks for taking care of our monsters. They are being well behaved for you I hope_."

Kason grabbed Truman and held him up toward the holo recorder. "You being good for us, Truie?" He asked tickling the little boy. 

"Aye, Momma." He giggled.

Talia nodded happily. " _All right. I'll be there with to relieve you in a few standard minutes and we'll let you know about the other_."

Rayala clicked off the holo and tried to throw herself back into the picnic activities. They had already fed the children their lunch. Ros was happy with her juice box. The bigger girls and Truman were enjoying the fruit they and plucked right off the trees. That was always a fun experience for Northern children who didn't often get fruit outside of a can or a jar of preserves.

Kason still must have noticed the extra twitch of her lekku as she saw to them all before she made a plate of food for herself and sat down on the blanket. "You're thinking about that little baby." He whispered.

She couldn't deny it. "We'll do whatever we can to see that they have what they need before they go on their way." She said as flatly as she could.

"But you have considered the situation, a young mother, alone, with no one but Saw Gerrera to turn to."

"Of course I've considered it. But we can't get our hopes up. A young girl rescued from a slavery ring, she's bound to need parenting herself and there could have been spice usage involved. Can you imagine the medical needs of a baby who's born addicted? And besides we don't even know if she plans to keep her baby."

Talia who walked in on their whispered conversation commented, "I don't believe she knows either. The Hutts didn't exactly present her with any options so I thought the best course of action would be to give her some."

Rayala's mind was whirling. She couldn't immediately speak but took a breath and continued. "I have all of my research into the agencies on my datapad. We'd be glad to help. Has a med droid certified that she's clean of spice use? The agencies will want to have confirmation of that. As a Twi'lek they'll want to place him with a couple who know about the cultural and physical care of lekku. And though I hate to even imagine it, there are evil beings out there who would pose as prospective parents to bring a healthy Twi'lek child back into slavery."

"Myat suggested that the two of you come and meet her and speak to her since you have some knowledge in the subject."

They had worked closely with Myat. If she requested their help of course they would come. "Okay, Aye. Should we gather the children now?"

…

"You have to be kidding," Saw scoffed when they entered the refugee center. "This security is ridiculous. Do they even lock the front door?"

"The doors are unlocked during daylight hours so the refugees can come and go," Dalla replied evenly.

"You mean so anybody can come and go?"

"What were you expecting, maximum security?" Lux snapped. "It's a residential center not a prison."

"I expected somewhere I would be alerted if Stormtroopers came pouring in." Saw pulled Jyn a little closer to him.

"Enough about the venue, which I will remind you is the one you wanted in the first place, where's this pregnant girl? She's the entire reason you landed, right?"

"I left her with one of my men. Jyn, you see Zal anywhere?"

Jyn pointed down the hall. "He didn't leave her."

Lux and Dalla followed the point. The big Lasat mercenary Zal nearly dwarfed a teenage Twi'lek girl with an enormously swollen belly.

"There, you've seen her. Now can I get her somewhere we can lock down?"

"You will do no such thing." Talia arrived on the scene trailed by the three little Harkons. "She's surrounded by men. Dalla, what do you say about our providing a little girl time?"

The women plunged forward to the girl staring ahead like a shaak in the headlights.

Talia extended a hand to her. "Hello, and I'm sorry for all that. I'm Talia and this is my friend Dalla; I didn't catch your name."

"Dahna," The Twi'lek swallowed hard and cautiously shook Talia's hand. She shifted in her seat to keep Saw in her peripheral vision.

"Nice to meet you, Dahna." Talia shook her hand and then went to the reason they were there: "You look like I did when I had my son. Are you about ready to go?"

"I think so." There was hardly a trace of a Ryl accent in her speech. She must have been separated from her home and family so long she'd lost it. "I don't really know."

"I'm assuming you haven't had any scans or medical care?" Dalla asked.

Dahna nodded. "I think it's okay. It's kicking, and it gets the hiccups."

"That's a good sign," Talia confirmed. "Saw brought you to the right place. I've had three babies, Dalla's had one, and Rayala from the center can help with the delivery and also with your ...situation."

"She's pretty good with that too," Dalla offered her hand to Dahna to help her up. "She should be inside with the -."

Just then there was a shriek and a crash as someone dropped everything they were carrying.

Myat stood in the center of the mess with a hand clasped over her mouth and the other one reaching out to Dahna like she couldn't believe she was there.

"Dahna?" she whispered.

Dahna nodded furiously and then asked, with equal amazement, "Myat?"

Myat responded by racing over to Dahna with her arms open, blubbering in Ryl. They crashed into each other and hugged as best they could with Dahna's big belly.

The men shuffled over to where the women were standing. "So...they know each other?" Ephraim whispered.

"Saw, did you know?" Dalla asked.

Saw shook his head. He looked equally shocked at the scene playing out in front of them. The two Twi'leks continued hugging and speaking Ryl for a few more minutes before he broke in. "Myat, Dahna, do you know each other?"

"Of course we do." Myat squeezed Dahna a little tighter. "She's my seestair."

"Sister?" Lux repeated.

"We were separated when the Hutts' thugs raided our village. I thought I'd never see you again!" Dahna's voice was barely intelligible through her tears of joy.

The others turned away to give the sisters some long overdue privacy and actually discuss the rapidly evolving situation.

…

"The child does not appear to have any abnormalities." The medical droid stated as it completed Dahna's scan. "It is a perfectly healthy boy."

Myat squeezed her sister's hand. "When do you zink he's coming?"

"The child is in vertex position. I would expect delivery anywhere in the next few days."

Rayala spoke up from where she was standing along the wall. "We have plenty of baby supplies when that day comes. If you like we can go get a crib as soon as we're done here."

"No," Dahna shook her head. "I don't need any. I'm not keeping him."

"What?" Myat looked at her in shock. "Dahna?"

"I can't. I'm not ready to have a baby. I'm not ready to be a mother. And there are lots of people who are ready and would love him." She rubbed her belly. "It's the best thing for him."

Myat nodded gravely. Besides being related she had the most experience in this situation and was best prepared to handle it. Rayala and her husband had learned that after so long working with her and the refugees.

"In that case," Rayala said, "We can look into possible placements or agencies where we can have him placed with an adoptive family. Kason and I have been looking into adopting ourselves so we've already done most of the research."

Dahna sized her up. "You are?"

Rayala nodded. "I'll get my research together if you'd like that."

"I would, thank you." Dahna gave Rayala a quick smile and then said something to Myat in Ryl. Rayala took that as her cue to leave.

Out in the hallway, those who fashioned themselves in charge were - of course - arguing. Rayala expected nothing less. How had all of them managed to get along ten years ago, when they all fought together to oust the Separatists from power? Nowadays they couldn't even be in the same room without fighting.

Right now Saw Gerrera was talking. "You want me to hide a crew of refugees and fugitives from the Empire in an unlocked refugee center in the capital city?"

"It's easy to hide in this city," Lux scoffed. "We managed it for quite some time back in the old days."

"We managed it a lot longer out in the jungle." Saw shot Lux a glare of pure poison on _jungle._ "If you won't let me take them to the more secure parts of the catacombs because you're afraid of Sith magic, let me take them to the Highlands. There are still caves there."

"And here we go again! Caves, catacombs - it's all the same!"

If history was indeed repeating itself this was the part where Dalla said something, but instead she hung near the back of the group looking terribly queasy and then dashed off like she was going to be sick.

Kason spoke up instead. "We have plenty of resources here to keep everyone safe and well cared for."

"And Dahna needs them now." Rayala announced and came to stand by Kason's side. "The medical droid says the baby is in position for her to give birth any day."

"Are you going to get her some baby supplies?" Kason asked.

Rayala shook her head. "Adoption research."

Kason perked up a little at that but Rayala shook her head a little.

He swallowed hard and went back to the task at hand. "Saw, you've brought these people to the right place. Where they go from here is their decision. That's how we do things here."

Saw was not pleased. "Are you saying-?"

"Kase is saying that your part in this is done," Lux interrupted. "You and your partisans are welcome to stay and rest, but when it comes to the refugees you have no authority anymore."

"And you do?" Saw countered. "Want me to hand them over to your precious Empire and save you the trouble of doing it yourself?"

Lux turned bright red. "It's not my -!"

Another fight would surely have brewed had Dalla at that moment not stepped out of the 'fresher and yelled _"Hey!"_ to distract them.

The would-be combatants shot one another a final dirty look and then backed off like cogs still raring for a fight.

Dalla probably would have said more but she once again went green and ducked back into the 'fresher. Thinking quickly, Rayala looked to the chronometer.

"It's time for supper," she announced. "Lux, can you and the Harkons go to the kitchens and help set it out for everyone? Saw, can you gather your partisans?"

Saw nodded gruffly and stalked off, his movements revealing the little girl from before who'd been hidden behind his legs.

"And this little lady can help us get the other refugees together," Kason said and bent to the girl's level. "What's your name?"

The child looked to Saw and when he nodded, said in a quiet voice: "Jyn."

"Can you help us find the others, Jyn?" Rayala asked and offered her hand.

Jyn nodded and took the hand once again with Saw's permission and the three of them walked off together.

Neither of the adults noticed the young woman watching them and the child from the room where they'd left her with her sister. Dahna rubbed her belly, deep in thought.


	36. The World’s Not Wide Enough

**THE WORLD'S NOT WIDE ENOUGH**

"Dal?" Lux knocked on the 'fresher door. "Are you okay in there? Everyone's getting together for supper."

There was a shuffle behind the door. "I'm fine. Don't wait for me."

"Why would I not wait for you? Are you sick? You've been in and out of the 'fresher all day."

"I'm not sick, I'm…" Dalla opened the door but made no move to leave the 'fresher. "Everything's okay. Go ahead and get something to eat."

He wouldn't be swayed. "I wanted to talk to you anyway. We haven't gotten a chance to since our disagreement and …"

"I'm sorry about that, Lux. I overreacted. I know none of those things were going through your head when you proposed and I should never have insinuated you'd stray."

"And I should have considered your feelings in that situation as well. Of course you would be hurt. For a second there I was thinking like Saw."

"Saw's the precise reason we can't fight amongst ourselves right now," she sighed thinking of the headaches Saw Gerrera was causing all over the center. "I accept your apology if you'll accept mine."

"Thank you."

An awkward pause passed between the two.

"So if you're not sick, are you tired?" Lux asked. "Do you want me to take you back to the palace to lie down?"

"Nope." Dalla couldn't help but smile.

"What is it then? You're not sick, you're..."

"Pregnant."

Lux stopped.

"Are you serious?"

She nodded. "I took a test just now to be sure and it's -."

 _"_ _Yeeesss!"_

Dalla watched hiding a smile behind her hand as her husband bounced up and down like a kid on Salt and Light, cheering.

"We've been blessed. Oh gods, thank you. Thank you so much!" He left off bouncing and trained his sights on her.

Dalla too would have thanked the salt gods for this wonderful gift a second time, if she didn't have other concerns.

"Don't knock me over!" she shrieked half a standard second before Lux tackle hugged her.

…

The others heard Lux cheering from the dining room and Ephraim and Talia, as well as Kason and Rayala smiled at each other knowingly.

"What in force's name is Bonteri yelling about?" Saw grumped.

"You could ask him," Ephraim suggested.

Saw scowled and soon found a target for his bad mood when Lux and Dalla walked into the room flushed and grinning. "What's got you so happy? Did Dendup croak?"

The grins vanished. "What the - Dendup is like a grandfather to me! How could you suggest that I'd be happy at his -?"

"Lux, please get me a ginger ale," Dalla interrupted. "I need it. Please. Right now."

Lux reluctantly left for the kitchen and once he was gone Dalla stabbed a finger in Saw's direction.

He raised his hands. "What?"

"You're a dead man walking, Saw." This came from Zalyanov Skimanos, the Lasat mercenary Saw had first recruited to his cause.

Saw rolled his eyes and went back to his food when Lux returned with the ginger ale and he and Dalla went to go sit next to the Harkons.

"Jyn is a great little helper," Kason said, trying to defuse the tension. "When you leave -."

"Jyn's coming with me." Saw grabbed the little girl's shoulder protectively. "She's not one of the refugees; she's my daughter. She stays with me."

Kason raised his hands to avoid confrontation. "She said so earlier. I was just going to say that we'll miss her. She's a sweet child. And she and Maia are practically inseparable."

Saw supposed the girls were sitting next to each other, which was better than Jyn had done for making friends in the past.

"Jyn," Zal said conspiratorially to the little girl. "Has Saw ever told you about his friends from Onderon, who can scare even him? There were two of them, the woman over there and then Dara -"

Saw glared and Zal dropped the topic. "Anyway, I don't think we'll be planetside much longer. Just long enough to pick up some new recruits and supplies, right?"

"Right." The sooner Saw didn't have to breathe the same oxygen as Lux Bonteri, the better. "Dahna talked to me. Soon as she has her baby, we're ready to go."

"Where are you going?" Maia piped up from next to Jyn.

"All over," Saw answered and went back to his meal. That was vague enough not to cause him problems if Bonteri had overheard.

Zal still had other questions. "Why are we leaving after Dahna has the baby?"

Saw flashed his gaze toward Bonteri's end of the table. "Just wait."

…

It was a long labor, long and boring for a young girl who'd been given an epidural early on and now had nothing to do but sit in the med center bed hooked up to an IV and machines monitoring her vitals and the baby's and the contractions that only slowly increased in strength and regularity.

Dahna switched off the holo screen with the remote and groaned. "Ugg! Is he ever coming out."

"It won't be much longer now." Rayala, who was taking a turn sitting with the girl, tried to encourage her.

"You don't really know that do you?" Dahna asked.

"No." Ray frowned apologetically. "I've never actually been through it myself. Even if I had I've heard it can really vary from female to female, even from pregnancy to pregnancy."

Dahna nodded. "But you want kids right?"

"Kason and I aren't able to conceive."

"You knew that before you got married."

Rayala smiled. "Aye. My older sister is a nurse. She is married to a human also. He's Kason's cousin. Dalla's younger brother."

"Oh." Dahna put it together. "I heard somebody say cousin and somebody say sister-in-law. Wasn't sure how that all worked. And Myat said you and your sister were slaves for a while too?"

"Not as long as you were. I'm so sorry you had to endure that. But… aye." Rayala sighed. "We were taken while we were children. They planned to sell us as a matched set."

"Myat and I were broken up when I was really little. I never imagined I'd ever see her again."

"It's a miracle you were reunited with family, especially going through something like this."

Dahna half smiled. "It's hard to remember what life was like with a real family. The other slaves at the Hutts' palace, they were my family for so long." She rubbed her belly and Rayala wondered if the girl was thinking of the baby's father. "Of course we weren't allowed to get too close to one another. Sometimes they allowed for or even arranged for relationships to begin if they thought they might get another free slave out of the bargain. But then…"

"Did you love him? The father?"

Dahna shrugged. "Hardly knew him. I think his master wanted to reward him for service or something. Mine thought I might be good breeding stock. So he might get something out of the deal. They're not getting what they wanted though. They're not getting my baby. That's all I care about."

"I think you are very brave to give your son life even though he wasn't conceived under the best circumstances. If you decide to keep him, I think you will be a wonderful mother and we will do everything we can to make sure that you have what you need to raise him." Rayala told her sincerely. "But if you do wish to place him with someone else I… have all the information you need to find a reputable agency to help with the process. Kason and I and your sister and Saw and everyone else here, we will support you no matter what you choose."

"Thank you." Dahna hastily wiped tears from her eyes. She squirmed uncomfortably in the bed.

Rayala glanced at the monitor. "It says you're having another contraction. Are you feeling the pressure?"

"Yeah, it's…" she squirmed again. "It feels different, lower, kind of like my body wants me to push."

Rayala hopped up out of her chair ready to run for help but the med droid had also been keeping track of the monitors and it rolled into the room. She stepped back and let the professional do it's work.

"Ten centimeters dilated and fully effaced," the droid announced.

"What does that mean?" Dahna looked small and scared.

"It means that it's time for your baby to come." Rayala gave her an encouraging smile. "Would you like me to go and get your sister?"

"And your husband." Dahna squirmed again uncomfortably.

"You want Kason here as well?" Rayala couldn't take the time to consider what that might mean.

"Yes. And quickly I don't think it will be long."

"Alright. Aye, Of course." Rayala hurried out to the waiting area "Myat it's time!" The Twi'lek rushed past her back into the birthing room. Then Ray turned to her husband, reaching out her hand to him. "And she wants both of us there as well."

He took her hand and stared. "Does this mean?"

"I don't know. She just said she wants us to be there."

Myat called out to them. "'Urry! Eet ees 'appening now!"

…

Shortly after the sun set, a squalling Twi'lek boy was lying in Dahna's arms.

"You did it," Myat grinned at her sister and the baby. "Dahna, you did it."

"Congratulations," Rayala helped the medical droid finish its initial cleanup. "Whenever you're ready, if you still want to, then I can show you the different adoption agencies. But if you decide otherwise, we —."

"I don't need any of that." Dahna shifted on the bed so she could face Kason and Rayala. "I saw you with Saw's little girl, and with the other kids. You're amazing with them. You're good people, and you've been with me since I got here."

Kason blindly grabbed his wife's hand and held it tight. "Do you mean…?"

Dahna held out the little boy. "Were you still looking to adopt?"

Rayala clapped her free hand over her mouth and made a sound somewhere between a gasp and a shriek. "Are you serious?" She gasped through her fingers.

"Do you like him?" Dahna's lip wobbled a bit but she still held out the baby.

Kason let go of Rayala's hand and took the baby in his arms.

"We love him," he said, almost choking on his emotion. "He's perfect."

Rayala touched the little boy's hand like she wasn't sure he was real, and he curled his hand around her finger. That was all it took for her to melt.

While the new parents marveled over their son, Myat patted her sister's shoulder.

"I deedn't zink so at first," she admitted. "But you did ze right theeng."

"I know I did." Dahna relaxed into the bed, watching the new little family. "And I'm going to do it again."

…

"His name is Ryon Blackwell," Rayala announced in a whisper so she wouldn't wake the sleeping newborn.

"Congratulations," Talia cooed over the baby. "He looks so happy there. You can tell he belongs with you two."

Ryon fussed a little and the Harkons led the new parents out of the room to help them set up the baby's crib and put him down, leaving Dahna with Myat, Lux, and Saw's partisans. Dalla had left the room a bit earlier, presumably to throw up.

"The medical droid hasn't given me the all-clear yet," Dahna said to Saw. "Once it does I'll be ready to go."

"Go where?" Lux asked.

Saw looked ready to answer for Dahna but she spoke up first. "I'm going with Saw. He and his partisans always need more people, and if I can help get rid of the Empire who helps the Hutts get away with enslaving beings -," This she practically spat. "Then I'm going to do it. If I can help just one slave get away, then I'm going to do it."

"Dahna, please," Myat begged. "There's plenty to do 'ere. So many of zees refugees need 'elp!"

"I wish I could stay with you, Myat. But I can't just stay here while the Empire gets away with this. This is my life, I'm going to go with Saw and nobody is going to stop me!"

Myat stared in shocked silence at her sister but she didn't make a sound, nor did anyone else for a while.

Unnoticed by the adults Maia Harkon hung back with Jyn and watched wide-eyed. It was like one of her pirate novels come to life.

"If you want to go with the partisans that's your choice," Lux said, though it sounded like he was grinding the words out. "But you can't leave right away. You've just had a baby; you need time to rest and recover before you leave."

"Why?" Saw asked. "She can rest on the ship or at my headquarters. We have bunks."

"I've never seen your headquarters or your ship, but I'm willing to bet every credit to my name that it's far more restful here than there."

"Oh, quit your concerned act, Bonteri," Saw snapped. "You want her to stay here to give the Empire more time to get over here and arrest my people."

Lux turned around very slowly until he was facing Saw square on. "What did you just say?"

Just then Ephraim poked his head back around the corner. "Have any of you seen… Maia! Come on, we don't want to keep your mother waiting."

She went grudgingly but looked back at Jyn. "I'll see you later?"

Jyn glanced up at Saw but he didn't seem to have even registered the distraction so she nodded at her friend before the Harkons hurried away.

"We all know what you're doing," Saw crossed his arms over his chest, still focused on Lux. "Spend enough time here to make the people like you, then run off back to Coruscant and sell them to the Emperor piece by piece. Start with the jungles, then chip away at Iziz - tell me, are you going to go with the Highlands or the North next? Dalla's probably going to want to know. I know I do."

Lux stabbed his finger at Saw, almost making contact with his armored chestplate. "You want to know what I'm doing? I've been here protecting Onderon, trying to keep her out of the hands of the Empire, while you've been off doing _salt-gods-know-what,_ _salt-gods-know-where!_ If any one of us is selling out Onderon, it's you!"

"At least I'm doing something about the Empire instead of standing back watching from the cushy palace!"

"There's more than one way to do something. We have to choose the way we fight."

"And I picked the way that actually _works."_

"I've heard about what you do that 'works.' How's that working out for your reputation?"

"What a highborn thing to care about, a reputation." 

The two men tensed like they were going to throw themselves at each other, and they probably would have had the door not opened at that moment and all sixty-two standard inches of Dalla Blackwell walked in on the impending disaster.

 _"_ _Enough!"_ Dalla shoved the two men apart with all her strength and stood between them. "Salt gods, enough! You two have done nothing but fight since you met up, and I'm done dealing with it!"

"You know what I'm done with?" Saw snapped.

Dalla glared at him with her most terrifying expression and Saw fell silent in the face of the northern woman.

"You're the one who's starting it!" She shot back. "Lux, you're letting him drag you into it and that's just as bad, but Saw's the root of the problem."

"Hey, I -."

"Sawyer Drokko Gerrera, can you not pick a fight for one second of your life?"

Saw's mouth opened and closed like a fish's, but he made no sound. Neither did any of the other partisans in the room.

"What is your problem with Lux?" She demanded. "Ever since you met you've done nothing but pick at each other and insult each other and tear each other down. If Vader and the Emperor were in this very room with us you'd still fight Lux. Now I wasn't there to see the beginning of this so tell me, Saw. What did he do to you to make you hate him so much?"

Saw looked around the room for help and settled on Zal, who raised his hands in surrender and gave him a "leave me out of this" look. If Lux had been foolish enough to speak he'd have called him a smart man. Few could rein Dalla in when she was like this.

Dalla didn't even leave time for Saw to respond. "You know what? I don't care. I don't care how this started, or why you hate each other so much, all I care about is that Steela and I have been cleaning it up since the beginning. Breaking you up, sending you to the other side of the base to cool down? Playing referee for you since before you two even saw each other face to face today? I walked out of this room for one minute, and you were about to fistfight. _I am pregnant!_ I'm busy growing a person. I'm supposed to be putting my feet up. I'm supposed to be calm." She pointed furiously at herself, closed in on Saw's personal space, and roared: _"Do I look calm to you?"_

Saw stared at her in shock. "You're pregnant?"

Dalla rolled her eyes. "Aye Saw, I'm pregnant."

"B-but, whose is it?"

Dalla's jaw dropped.

"Whose is it?" She repeated. "What do you mean, 'whose is it?' It's Lux's, of course! Who else's would it be?"

Some of the others in the room started slinking toward the door to escape, but Saw chose that moment to exchange the shovel he'd been using to dig his grave for a Mining Guild crawler. "Lux's? You … with Bonteri?!"

Realization dawned on Dalla and she clenched her hands into fists to keep from exploding. "Sawyer. Drokko. Gerrera."

"Oh my gods, Dalla!"

"Oh my gods, Saw!" Dalla waved her left hand, making sure Saw could see her wedding ring. "Lux is my _husband!_ How did you not know that? Have you been living under a rock or did you willfully tune out every news holo coming from Onderon for the last three years?"

Saw stared at the ring, then at Dalla's belly, and then at the rest of her.

"How could you?"

Dalla raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, what?"

"How could you?" Saw repeated. "You were Steela's friend. You know she loved those jungles; they were everything to her. And then you turn around and marry the person who helped the Empire burn them to the ground? How could you sell out like that?"

"That's not how it happened. We don't know how the Empire knew where those bases were, but I assure you Lux had nothing to do with it."

"Who told you that? Bonteri?"

"I knew that long before we were married. He is not evil incarnate and he is not throwing in with the Empire. He left Coruscant once his term was over and he hasn't gone back!"

"No, he hasn't. He's staying here so he can be the king and then do whatever he wants with Onderon. What's he going to do, strip it bare? Sell it to the Empire? Both? You know how this works and you went along with it! You, of all people! You're helping him get away with everything he's going to do. Once it starts happening, no one's going to be able to stop someone who's married to the Lady of the North and has a direct heir! Why? Why are you letting this happen? Why are you letting history repeat itself?"

"I'm letting history repeat itself?" Dalla laughed harshly. "You're actually repeating it. You and your fantasy obsession with Soniee Ordo!"

"Leave her out of this!"

"You purposefully kept Soniee from her husband so you could be with her yourself. You knew Korkie still loved her and yet you made no effort to contact him, or to let her know that he did. You let her live with her broken heart for your own selfish reasons and you know who helped her reunite with Korkie? _Lux!"_

Saw's jaw dropped. "She's alive?"

It seemed to throw Dalla a little that he didn't know but she pressed on. "Aye, she is. No thanks to you."

The shock wore off and Saw launched back into rage. "And you didn't tell me?!"

"Why would I tell you? You've no right to know Soniee's business."

 _"_ _I loved her!"_

She scoffed. "You loved the idea of her."

"What do you know about it?" He spat. "Love is a transaction to you. You made that clear when you proposed to me." He shot a smug look to Lux, who didn't react. Dalla opened her mouth to respond but Saw didn't let her. "And what business of it is yours? She's closer to me than she ever was with you. She would have come to me."

Dalla debated telling him for a second and then gave it up. "Soniee is our daughter's godmother. She is family."

Saw choked on whatever he planned to say. Only after a full standard minute did he choke out _"What?"_

"Soniee. Is. Our. Daughter's. Godmother." Dalla repeated. "She came north for her birth and we arranged for Korkie to come up at the same time, where they were reunited."

The shock wore off. _"You sucked Soniee into this?!"_

"What do you mean, I sucked Soniee into this? We invited her to come see our child! And what even is 'this?' Salt gods, you haven't made sense since you walked in the room!"

Saw clenched his hands in fists. "You can sell yourself out, Blackwell. I don't care what you do to yourself anymore. But you dragged Soniee over to the Empire right along with you."

 _"_ _We did not!"_ Dalla roared. "We helped her and Korkie hide from the Empire. There are no records of her ever being on Onderon for Ros's birth. We covered all of our tracks, Saw. We would never put Soniee in danger!"

"You don't have to give her to the authorities. You've made her part of your side. She'll never use her powers to help free Onderon if it means tearing down her godchild's claim to power!"

"Is that what this is all about?" Dalla asked incredulously. "Soniee using her powers to help your partisans?"

"There's no other way!"

Saw lunged and grabbed her throat.

"That's the _only_ way!" He bellowed, volume shaking the room. "Nothing gets through to the Empire besides violence and power. Just like nothing else apparently gets through to you!"

Dalla scrambled for her dagger with one hand and batted at Saw's wrists with the other like she didn't know which one would be more effective.

"What the hell, Dalla?!"

An inhumanly deep voice bellowed _"Saw!"_

Saw's head snapped back from a punch in the jaw and he stumbled backwards, releasing Dalla.

Lux stood between them with one hand in a fist and his face purple with rage.

"You lay a hand on my wife," he growled. "I'll kill you."

For the first time ever, Saw feared Lux Bonteri's wrath.

"Dalla, are you okay?"

"I'm fine and the baby's fine." She coughed and picked herself up from the floor. "Let's go."

Zal stood at the back of the room ready to jump into the fray if Saw said the word and he raised his eyebrows for permission. Saw shook his head.

Dalla placed a hand on Lux's shoulder to reassure or even restrain him. _"Lux."_

Lux glared at Saw with pure rage for a second more and then nodded agreement. "Aye, let's go."

"That's it?" Saw asked, still shaken over what he'd done and what Lux was about to do. "You're just going to walk away?"

Dalla glared at him. "We were willing to talk with our friend," she snapped. "But he's gone. We don't know who you are anymore."

The royal we. Saw's heart sank. Bonteri used to say that in the early days, before Saw's momentary delusion that he was something more than a spineless senate errand boy. And now Dalla was saying it too.

He gave his jaw one last rub and then straightened up, the physical pain replaced with hot betrayal. Kriff Lux Bonteri. He'd taken Saw's sister, his love, his jungles, his planet, and now he'd taken his last friend and made her just like him.

Or maybe he hadn't had to do anything. Dalla and Lux were lordlings. They'd been lordlings all along.

"I should have let Rash have you both." he snapped and stormed out of the room. "Who the Dxun are you?"


	37. O Sons and Daughters

**O SONS AND DAUGHTERS**

King Dendup couldn't believe his luck when Lux and Dalla asked him to babysit Ros. He rarely had the chance to spend time with his great-granddaughter who spent most of the year up north with her parents. Every second with her was a gift, especially when her parents weren't around to object over how many sweets he gave her or how long he let her stay up.

Ros grinned with fruit juice stained teeth and held up a foam ball. "Grandpa play?"

"Yes, Grandpa will play." He took the ball from Ros and gently tossed it to her. He couldn't help but smile when she caught it like a hug.

Ros tossed the ball to him (or more like his general direction) but before he could catch it Truman ran between them with a war whoop and knocked the ball off into the gardens.

"Truman, play nicely," Dendup scolded. "You can join our game if you like but you can't ruin other people's fun."

Ros put her hands on her hips, more irritated at the game being interrupted than anything. "Tuie get ball!"

Truman ran off to get the ball, and hurled it back to Ros with five-year-old ignorance that the toddler couldn't catch something that fast. It hit her smack in the face.

The little boy froze. "Is she okay?"

Dendup knew he shouldn't make a fuss if he wanted to avoid tears. "Oh, she's fine."

The tears budding in Ros's eyes signaled that she didn't believe him.

"Here, sweetheart," He grabbed her hand and guided her to the nearest flowerbed. "Let's look at flowers together. Do you know which flower this is?"

Ros sniffed and wiped her eyes so she could see better. "Rosy?"

"You're right, it's a rose! And this one is one of your Mommy's flowers. Can you say _nightshade?"_

"Mommy!" Ros dropped his hand and darted toward the garden entrance. Dendup was about to call a guard to chase after her, a little too slow to do it himself, when he saw the couple of couples in the doorway.

"Hello, your Highness," Talia called a little too brightly. "We tried to comm ahead but no one answered. Thank you for watching them. I hope they weren't any trouble."

"No, no. It was my get along wonderfully. Makes me wonder when you might start the betrothal negotiations."

"Ha." Ephraim commenced roughhousing with his son. "Have you been talking to my mother?"

"He certainly hasn't been talking to my father." Talia sighed.

Lux and Dalla were curiously quiet.

"How did the meetings go?" Dendup asked but then turned back to the Harkons. "And where are your twins?"

"We left the girls with Kason and Rayala. They were just matched with a little boy and they're preparing to bring him home. Ephraim and I figured they could use all the help they could get."

Dendup nearly squealed from excitement. "How wonderful! Tell them they're welcome at the palace any time. I can't wait to see their little one." Strangely not everyone present seemed to be in a celebratory mood. Lux's face was a hue of red only achieved when he was boiling mad, and Dalla…

"Dalla," He came closer, filled with dread. "What happened to your neck?"

"Saw happened!" Lux burst out as whatever he had been using to hold himself together came unglued. "I should have thrown him off the planet the second we knew he was in orbit. Dalla told him Soniee was alive and that she was Ros's godmother - and he choked her! He's insane!"

Dendup had other priorities. "Say something so I know your throat isn't crushed."

"It's not," Dalla took a deep breath to prove that point. "I can breathe."

Thank the gods. "Alright dear, we're going to the medcenter right away. Talia, if you can watch the babies-."

"Yes, the _medcenter!"_ Clearly Lux and Dalla had gone over this the way here the way he jumped on the topic. "I said she needed to make sure she was okay but -."

"You know I can't!" Dalla snapped. "What am I going to say, 'Saw Gerrera the wanted fugitive strangled me when we tried to help his people at the refugee center?' No, everyone's going to think _you_ did it, and I'm not going to have you blamed for that bastard's actions."

As much as he hated it Dendup saw her point, as well as Lux's. If Saw so much breathed Onderonian atmosphere again Dendup would reintroduce him to the palace dungeons and all they contained. "At least let me bring you a medical droid. Strangulation injuries can be dangerous after the fact."

Dalla nodded agreement and Dendup led them all away with an arm around her shoulders.

"Lux, my boy? Tell me how the meetings deteriorated so much that Gerrera attacked your wife."

...

A few hours later Lux's secure comm line rang. Only one person ever commed him that way so he knew it had to be Soniee.

Dalla heard the chime from where she was playing blocks with Ros. "Of all the times to check in on her godchild." She scooped up the toddler and made her way over to the unit.

"She's always had very good timing." Lux switched on the unit.

As soon as Soniee's holographic image materialized she asked _"Has something happened with Saw?"_

Lux hadn't expected her to be quite so spot on but with the force anything was possible. "How did you know? Did you use your force powers to know we were in distress?"

 _"_ _No!"_ Soniee shook her head. _"Is something wrong? I just had a tip that Saw was back on Onderon and I wanted to see if it was true and if he made contact with you while he was there."_

"Oh, he made contact alright."

 _"_ _What do you mean?"_

Before either adult could answer, Ros pulled away from her mother to get a better look at the holoprojector and exposed the bruises on Dalla's neck.

Soniee gasped. _"Dalla...Manda!"_

"I'm fine," Dalla assured her. "We're all fine."

 _"_ _What happened? Who did that to you?"_ Soniee feared she already knew the answer.

"Saw lost it when I told him you were Ros's godmother. He thought we were selling you out to the Empire so that you wouldn't use your powers to help him."

Like Soniee ever would. The things Saw Gerrera was doing were things she'd never attach her involvement to. _"And he choked you over it?"_

"It was only for a second," Dalla assured her. "Lux protected me. And the med droid says I'm completely fine."

 _"_ _I wish I couldn't believe it."_ Soniee closed her eyes. _"He's gone down a dark path."_

"He's a monster." Lux spat. "There's no stopping him now."

 _"_ _There's been no stopping him for a long time."_

"Well it's over," Dalla sighed. "He's left the planet and I doubt he'll ever come back."

They stood in silence for a while until Soniee's vexation melted into a knowing smile: _"So...is there anything else you'd like to tell me about?"_

"How do you know?" Dalla laughed. "We just found out this morning."

"The force, no doubt." Lux teased.

 _"_ _Congratulations, both of you."_ Soniee turned her attention to Ros. _"Did you hear that, Ros? Did your parents tell you you're going to be a big sister?"_

"No!" Ros shook her head while both her parents laughed.

"We'll try again after her nap," Lux suggested. "She might be more receptive to the idea then."

...

When Shara first heard the comm chime she assumed the worst. With Saw Gerrera and Lux Bonteri both in Iziz at the same time, anything was possible. She had been given the vague summation of the events, how the meetings had started well and then Saw and his partisans had shown up with a load of refugees they had rescued from a slavery ring. She wondered how her daughter-in-law was handling all this. Sweet Rayala had lived through that once. Shara couldn't imagine what sort of memories that must dredge up.

The look on her eldest son's face when she activated the comm, however was anything but distressed. He looked… elated. " _Momma! Is Dad around? And the others? Emoth and Kay? Lana? The boys?"_

She didn't know what to think. "Well, it's late. I was just finishing up the dishes. They might be in bed."

" _Oh I'm sorry. I hadn't even checked the chrono. Can you get them? Ray and I have something we need to show you!_ "

"Alright I'll get them." She hurried out of the comm room and down the hall. "Jay, get all the kids! Kase and Ray want to show us something!"

It took some doing to gather the whole Blackwell clan. Well most of them. Cornel was back at Harkon hall studying to be a shipwright. Thias and Cybelle hadn't returned from their latest voyage. Cade and Kora were at the Keep visiting. But Marlon plus the rest of Jamos and Shara's crew including Jak and Suza who had woken up with all the commotion were eventually all circling the comm table.

Kason looked around at them all smiling.

"Come on, Kase." Emoth complained. "What's it all about? You woke up my kids for this."

" _It's worth it. I promise_." He beaconed to someone outside the field of vision and his wife joined him carrying a bundle of blankets in her arms. " _Ray and I would like to introduce you to our son, Ryon Blackwell_."

Rayala pulled back a corner of the blanket and held the baby up toward the holo recorder so they could all see him better.

The exclamations of joy and congratulations and questions came at the new parents like a tidal wave and they attempted to keep up.

"Is he a Twi'lek?"

" _Aye, his birth mother was one of the refugees here at the mission. She couldn't care for him but she wanted him to have a loving family_."

"Well, he couldn't ask for a more loving family than the two of you for parents."

"Oh! I can't wait to hold him!"

"Look, Suza you've got a new little cousin."

" _The birth mother asked us to be there when he was born. We got to hold him almost right after_."

"No one deserves it more."

"He's green."

"That's right, Jak. Isn't he a handsome shade of green."

"Can Momma paint me green like baby Ryon?"

"That would make him feel welcome, wouldn't it?"

Laughter and tears abounded on both sides of the comm connection.

"Have you commed your sister yet?"

Rayala shook her head. " _We're going to comm her next_."

"And when are you coming home to introduce him to us properly? Surely you'll want to be here for salt and light so he can be baptized?"

" _Salt gods! I'd completely forgotten! Aye, of course. We'll see if we can catch a planet hopper up. Are Lux and Dalla going up after the meeting?_ " Kason asked his wife.

" _I'm sure they are_." Rayala couldn't remember with all the excitement. " _And they'll want to share their news as well_." Her eyes opened wide and her free hand covered her mouth.

"What news is this?" Marlon asked.

" _Dalla hasn't commed you yet about how the meeting went?_ " Kason hedged.

"They have news about the meeting? New developments with Lux?"

" _I guess you could say that_." Kason couldn't hide a grin.

Rayala elbowed her husband. " _We shouldn't have said anything. We should have let them tell you_."

"She's going to have another baby?" Kayla guessed excitedly.

…

"Has anyone seen Maia?" Talia Harkon asked for the umpteenth time only to get head-shakes and shrugs from the refugees.

Ephraim came down the other side of the hall and shook his head. Apparently he hadn't found their daughter either.

 _"_ _Maia!"_ They each yelled and split up to look again.

Lux tore apart the pantry while Dalla worked on every kitchen cupboard big enough for Maia to fit in.

"Maybe she left the center?" Rayala suggested, joining the search with Ryon in her arms. "She might have wanted to go to Malagan Market, or out to a bakery or tapcaf?"

"That doesn't sound like Maia," Lux cleared the pantry. "Are Ephraim and Talia having any luck?"

"I think they've combed the center three times and come up empty," Dalla moved on to the next cupboard. "Did she maybe go into the catacombs? She was curious about the part that caved in."

"Gods, I hope not. That's still not stable."

Ephraim crashed through the kitchen door. "Did you find her?"

"Not yet, Ephraim." Dalla shut the cupboard door. "Where else haven't we looked?"

"Where else could she be? We've turned the entire place inside out!" Talia entered the kitchen just then, white with panic.

"She's clearly not in the refugee center. We've got to start looking somewhere else." Rayala took charge. "Where else in the city might she have gone?"

"I don't know," Talia wrung her hands. "We've been so busy with the meetings and the refugees we haven't had time to take the kids anywhere."

"We took the girls to the orchard the first day you arrived. It didn't seem like she'd want to go back there and Kase and I were at the house setting up the nursery. We know she wasn't there," Rayala added. "Who else can we ask?"

Ephraim and Talia figured it out at the same time and bolted toward the room their family was staying in, leaving everyone else in the dust.

Fiona looked up from her holobook when they blasted in and removed the headphones from her ears. "Momma? Papa?"

"Fiona!" Ephraim gasped. "Fiona, where's your sister?"

"She isn't back yet?" Fiona's brow wrinkled in confusion. "She said she was going to see Jyn."

Talia froze. "She went to see Jyn on Saw's ship?"

"Aye. She said she was just going for a while -."

 _"_ _Kason!"_ Ephraim bellowed. "Get Gerrera on the comm, _now!"_

…

"If that man doesn't pick up his comm, I'm going to end him."

"Get in line, Bonteri."

"Of course you get first dibs. He took your kid. But he choked my pregnant wife. Let me get in a lick or two."

"As long as I get to finish it."

"If you two keep carrying on like that we won't get anywhere," Talia snapped. "Comm him already and let's get our baby back!"

"He just has to pick up, Talia." Ephraim took her hand. "We've got this."

A staticky image of Saw Gerrera materialized above the projector. _"What do you all want now?"_

Talia struggled to remain calm. "Saw, I think my daughter Maia stowed away on your ship. We need you to look for her."

 _"_ _No need. She didn't stow away; she joined up."_

"She what?" Ephraim sputtered.

 _"_ _She decided to actually do something about the Empire,"_ Saw answered. _"She's a good kid, braver than most of the people on this comm."_

"Aye, she is and we love her very much. How soon can you bring her back?"

 _"_ _Bring her back?"_

"Aye Saw, _bring her back."_ Ephraim's voice took on a dangerous edge at the end.

Saw scoffed. _"Yeah, not happening."_

"You are," Ephraim commanded. "Maia is a child, and we're her parents. She stays with us."

 _"_ _I don't have enough people to turn away volunteers."_ Here Saw crossed his arms. _"And besides, Maia joined up, so as far as I'm concerned she's with us now. I don't throw my people to whatever they left back home."_

"There's nothing to _throw_ her to!" Talia shouted. "You're going to return her to her home up north and her family who loves her."

 _"_ _Actually, I think it'll be good for her to be away from Harkon Hall and all the lords and ladies. Something happens to kids raised like that. They start out good but then they slowly...sell...out."_ He turned from Ephraim and Talia to the couple standing where they thought they were out of the holofield.

Looks like they'd misjudged their distance. "Saw," Dalla hazarded speaking to the man. "If this is about our argument, then that's between the two of us. You have no right to take it out on the Harkons."

 _"_ _This isn't about you. This is about making sure a little girl grows up knowing who the enemy is, not marrying him and having his baby."_

There was no use arguing with him. "Bring Maia home. She's too young to be in the middle of a war."

 _"_ _Jyn's doing just fine. Maia will too."_

"You want to send my baby into a _war?!"_ Talia roared. "No! She's just barely become a midshipman; she's not old enough to fight! Send her home!" She turned bright red and towered over Saw's miniature projection: "Send my baby home or I swear to every one of the salt gods I will hunt you down and _gut you like a fish!"_

Before Saw could say anything Talia took a wild swing at the table and swept the comlink off. The device flew across the room and hit the wall, the projection unit shattering into a million pieces.

Talia stared at it in shock. "Oh my gods, I broke it."

Ephraim reached out to her. "Talia…"

"I broke it!" Talia gasped. "I killed the comm, and now he's not going to pick up any more from us because he knows we know! He's not going to bring her back. We don't know where he is and he's not going to bring our baby back!"

She collapsed into her husband's arms, sobbing. Ephraim held her, just barely holding together himself.

…

Saw stood with his arms crossed over his chest watching as his new recruits and seasoned veterans unloaded supplies to the helpless victims on another planet ravaged by the Empire. He was doing some real good in the galaxy. He was making a difference. There was food in those crates for the starving, medical supplies, and clothing, but there were also weapons so the formerly helpless could fight back.

Dahna, of course, was not required to carry crates. She had a datapad and was marking off the list of supplies as they were unloaded. She was doing her part but he'd made sure she had a place to sit with her feet up while she recovered from the delivery of her child. The child she had given to Kason Blackwell, the boy who had once been jealous of him for dancing with Sanya.

Sanya was alive, reunited with the husband who had once written her off as dead to him, godmother of his sworn enemies' child. Saw shook his head to clear it of the memories. He had to stay in the here and now or he would go crazy.

Jyn was learning her place. She and the Harkon girl were carrying a crate between them. They were both going to be alright.

And then his comm unit chimed.

"You think it's the girl's parents again?" Zal asked as he passed by down the ship's gangway, easily shouldering a heavy crate in each arm.

Saw looked at the ID. "No. It's Enfys. She might have something for us!"

"Not the coaxium?" the Lasat whispered in disbelief. "Didn't she nearly blow up her entire gang of Cloud-Riders the last time she went for a score?"

"Won't know till I go to check it out." Saw shook his head. "Says she wants me to come alone."

"But you'll let me come?" Jyn had joined them and was staring up at her guardian expectantly.

A few steps behind her stood the Harkon girl looking frightened that she was about to be left all alone on a strange planet.

"Sure kid," Saw told his ward. "Get on board and buckle up." He hardly acknowledged Maia who's eyes suddenly threatened to brim over with tears.

Zal pulled Saw aside. "What about the other one?"

"Keep an eye on her. This'll be a good test to see if she's really ready for this."

"And if she's not?" the Lasat asked.

Saw considered. "Then we'll see if we can find Ohnaka to fly her home. I'm not going back there."

The shuttle took off and Maia was at least glad that she wasn't the only Partisan who had been left to distribute the goods they had just offloaded.

Zal smiled at her in his big gruff but comforting way. "Let's go see what good we can do for these folks. What do you say?"

She nodded even as she wiped at her eyes with her sleeves.

There was a local boy who was going through one of the crates of clothing. He appeared to be only a little older than she was but thin like the rest of the people here as if he'd been starving before help arrived. He looked up at Maia as she approached but an expression of concern replaced his ready smile.

"Are you alright?" He must have noticed she'd been crying.

"I'm fine."

"I thought you all were supposed to be helping us." He nudged her obviously hoping to cheer her up.

Maia nodded, "Aye. That's why we came."

"I'm Staven." He held out a hand for her to shake.

"Maia." she replied.

He went back to rummaging through the crate with occasional smiling glances in her direction. After awhile he found a pair of synthskin gloves and held them out to her. "I don't think these are going to fit any of our people, but they look like they might be about the right size for you."

Maia took them and smiled warmly. "Thank you."

Zal looked on with a smile of his own. Yeah, she was gonna be okay.


	38. Kayla’s Education

**KAYLA'S EDUCATION**

She held her babies a little tighter that night, gave them an extra kiss on each of their foreheads and stayed in the nursery just to watch them sleep for much longer than she normally would have. Kayla was sure everyone who had heard the story of her niece, Maia, running away from home was doing the same.

Her heart was breaking for Talia and Ephraim and also for Fiona. Losing a child was unimaginable but losing your twin, your other self? Kayla didn't know what she would do if she lost Kora. Now that they were both grown up with families… Well, Kayla and Emoth had their little family and maybe some day soon Kora and Cade would as well. She had told Kayla that she was finally ready for them to start trying. And if they succeeded maybe she could convince Emoth that Jak and Suza might like a little brother or sister.

Then there were moments when Kayla couldn't imagine bringing another child into this terrible mixed up galaxy. How could she even think of such a thing when her sister's family were in so much pain at losing their daughter and sister?

In times like these, Kayla did the thing that felt the most natural in the galaxy. It calmed her nerves and helped her to see clearly. She took out her paints and brushes and got to work. She painted her children and Ros. She painted her in-laws. She painted the harbor and the Hold and the sunset and the flowers in the greenhouse. And with this great release of creative expression the stress seemed to melt away. She felt like herself again, more than she had in years.

Emoth loved seeing her so happy and rested. He made sure that she had whatever materials she needed to work on her hobby and looked after Jak and Suza so she could have her hands free as much as he was able.

Sometimes it felt like a fruitless effort. Sure she enjoyed the process but it did take her away from other things she could be doing. She had promised Shara she would help making those pies to send with the sailors on their journey but she got caught up in a sketch she was doing of Jak while he was doing puzzles and the time got away from her.

Evidently Suza had wandered into the kitchen and helped Nana with the pies instead and the two of them had had a grand time. Kayla had no idea until Shara brought the little girl back to the Bralykburn wing of the Hold both of them laughing and covered in flour.

"Oh," Kayla moaned upon seeing them, "I'm so sorry. I completely forgot. And just look at her. I hope she wasn't too much trouble."

"Think nothing of it." Shara beamed at her granddaughter. She didn't mind at all the little floury handprints on the bodice of her dress. "She was Nana's little helper. We've come to see what Momma's created while we were at work. Isn't that right, Suza my love?"

"Momma!" The toddler reached out and Kayla took her gladly and gave her a kiss.

With her hands now free, Shara walked over to Kayla's work table to get a closer look. There was the nearly finished picture of Jak and another earlier drawing of Suza with her doll. They were simple but beautiful, lovingly captured representations.

"I mean to paint them once I've got the sketches just right." Kayla frowned at her own work critically. "And if I have the time. I was thinking maybe as gifts for Papa. I think he'll appreciate them even though they're not very good."

"Kay, these are wonderful!" Shara wiped her hands on her apron so as not to smudge the artwork and then she carefully moved a few pieces to see what lay underneath. There were doodles and false starts among the more serious works but they all displayed a natural talent.

"Oh, well, thank you," Kayla dithered. "Papa once took Kora and I to the gallery at the art school in Iziz. I wanted to paint like that. I thought maybe if I kept practicing…"

"You mean you've never had any instruction?" Shara asked, amazed.

"No." She shook her head and then smiled meekly, "Unless you count holos. 'happy little trees'."

Suza giggled in her mother's arms and Kayla bounced her smiling even more broadly. She was a wonderful mother. They had all had misgivings about Emoth bringing home his pregnant sixteen year old wife. And then when she had gotten pregnant again so soon after Jak, they had all wondered how she would bare up under the pressure.

At nineteen she loved her husband and her son and daughter more than anything. She would work and sacrifice to make things better for them. And she got along with everyone in the Hold. She had initiated herself as the resident peacemaker almost as soon as she arrived, and she very seldom asked for anything in return. Maybe it was time they all gave something back to her.

"Have you ever thought about taking a few classes to improve your skills?" Shara asked, admiring a particularly fine painting of the sunrise behind the Blackhold salt formation.

Kayla shook off the very idea. "After Papa took us to the gallery it's all I talked about for weeks and weeks. I wanted to go to the Iziz art academy and see my own pictures there on display." She laughed at the absurdity of her childhood dream. "Now though with Jak and Suzelle, I mean it's a nice hobby. I love to scribble a bit when I get the chance, get some of the pictures in my head down on canvas… but I couldn't go away to school."

Shara was about to say more when her son came into the room with his own son walking along beside him, hand in hand. "There's all our favorite girls! What do you say, Jak?"

"Nana!" He ran to her and she had to hastily set down the picture she'd been admiring so she could gather up the boy in her arms. "Did you make lots of pies?"

"Your sister and I made a few and I'm sure we'll have enough to share after supper." She tickled her favorite grandson. No, she'd have to amend that. She hadn't had the chance to meet Ryon yet in person but she already knew she had two favorite grandsons. "And your momma has been making beautiful pictures." She pointed out the drawings that he was perfectly used to seeing in various stages of completion all over their wing of the house whenever his mother had the chance to work on them.

"I should have been in the kitchen helping you." Kayla looked contrite. "I lost track of the time."

"It's alright," Emoth defended her wrapping an arm around the shoulders of his young wife. "Isn't it, Momma? The work still got done."

"Of course," Shara tapped Suza's nose. "I had a wonderful helper, didn't I? And I'm glad your Momma got some time to herself. I know how that comes in short supply when you've got little ones running around."

"It did make for a relaxing afternoon." Kayla admitted.

Then Suza suggested, "Momma, I paint!"

"Well," Kayla checked the chrono on the desk. "I think that would be alright. We still have some time before dinner. What about you, Jak, would you like to make a picture for your cousin Ros or maybe we could make a welcome banner for baby Ryon. They'll all be here in a few days."

Jak nodded happily.

"Oh but," Kayla turned back to Shara. "Do you need my help preparing the meal?"

"By all means." Shara beamed at her daughter-in-law and grandchildren. She let Jak down so he could go and fetch the supplies that he and his sister were allowed to use. "Art is your creative outlet. Cooking is mine. So I will get to it. Although," She winked at Suza. "I would like a masterpiece to hang on my conservitor."

"Aye, Nana," the little one giggled.

…

Kora hugged her sister on the dock as soon as she had made her way down the gangplank of the _Beast's Ride._

"Well, do you have news?" Kayla was practically jumping up and down.

Kora was bursting to tell her twin something but she was dragging it out for the suspense. "Well, I haven't taken a test yet but there is reason to suspect…"

Kayla didn't let her finish but began dragging her sister towards the Hold with a squeal of delight. "I have a box of tests in our fresher. You can take one right now and then we can go see Ms Niamh. She's wonderful. She delivered both Jak and Suzelle and I wouldn't have anyone else…"

"Slow down," Kora laughed. "Where are my niece and nephew?"

"Dalla and Lux arrived just before you and they didn't want to leave Ros," Kayla excused her children. "They are excited to see you and Cade as well, though."

"Oh, I knew we'd never be able to compete with a cousin their own age. What about Ryon? Have Kase and Ray come up with him yet?"

"Not yet. We're all dying to see him and hold him." She bit her lip. "Kason had to stay in Iziz a bit longer. He's overseeing the security upgrade at the center. They're trying to make sure…"

Kora nodded. No one wanted what happened to Maia to happen to anyone else.

"How are Talia and Ephraim doing?"

"It's not good, Kay. Poor little Fiona doesn't want to sleep in the room she shared with her sister."

"I don't blame her," Kayla moaned.

"She went missing one morning. They couldn't find her anywhere. All of us went looking. Then out comes Cornel carrying her sleeping with her head on his shoulder. He said he found her in the kennel all curled up with the cog pups. He said it's where he would have gone if it had been him."

"Sometimes I think Cornel is smarter than any of us."

Kora nodded.

Then Kayla asked, "And Lady Adria?"

Kora shook her head. "She's sort of sunken into herself. Lord Glover said it was the grand babies who were keeping her afloat after Ellie and Miranda died and now…"

"And there's nothing they can do to bring Maia back home?"

"Well," Kora glanced over to where her husband was getting acquainted with the other half of double trouble after so long apart. She lowered her voice. "I did overhear Ephraim say something about a crew who might be able to help."

"A crew?"

"A crew who wouldn't be opposed to using any means necessary."

"Pirates?!" Kayla let out the word a little too loud and Kora shushed her before continued.

"I think so. I don't think they wanted the Blackwells to get wind of it. They didn't want Cade to know in case he might tell Dalla."

"The Blackwells are sworn to keep pirates off the Northern sea," Kayla mused about the possible reasons for this.

"Aye. That's what I thought as well." Kora saw their husbands coming closer and sought for a change of subjects. "Well, what about your schooling? Did you send in some of your work to the admins at the academy?"

"I have. I doubt anything will come from it. It's not that good. It's not… professional."

Kora smirked. "The whole point of going to school is so you can learn. You've got to start somewhere. And you're fathoms better than anybody else in the whole north."

Kayla laughed at the praise. "I don't know about that."

The boys joined them then and Cade wrapped his sister-in-law in a rough hug. "Thank salt gods, you two are back together again and Kora can talk your ear off for a while."

Kora swatted him. "You love it when I talk."

He let go of Kayla and danced his wife around the dock instead. "I love it more when you scream my name."

"Cade Alon Blackwell!" She scolded.

"Well maybe not like that." He put her down and turned to the other couple. "So did she tell you the schooner may have finally found the port?"

"Cade!" Kora gave him another swatt.

He laughed and kissed her. "What I'm not allowed to be excited? I've worked hard for this. I'm ready to see the fruit of my labor."

"I'm the one who's going to have to go through labor if…" She took a shaky breath. Kora was still plenty nervous about this whole eventuality.

"If?" Kayla cooed encouragingly. "Let's go take that test and find out for sure." She took her sister's hand and led her away from their husbands. "Give us a few minutes," she told them as the sisters retreated towards the Hold.

"He's driving me crazy." Kora growled. "He's so excited. And I am too, really. But it's also scary, everything that could go wrong. I can't see how you did this twice."

"We've actually been thinking about trying again," Kayla admitted. "That would be different wouldn't it, actually trying instead of landing with a surprise? Not that Jak and Suza aren't the best surprises in the entire galaxy."

"They are precious. I can't wait to see them."

"They've been asking for Aunt Kora's stories. And maybe soon you'll have your own little one to tell stories to."

Kora swallowed and nodded.

Kayla sighed. "With Dalla pregnant again and maybe you as well… I kind of always hoped that you and I could experience this together."

Kora elbowed her. "Well, it's like you said, it didn't take much trying for the first two."

"Aye, you're right." And they both laughed.

So Kora took the test and they didn't have to wait long at all for the results. Two blue lines showed up as clear as day almost immediately and the twins went to share the good news with the rest of the family.

…

Kayla stared at the blinking light on the comm unit like it was going to bite her.

"Ugg. Please tell me you found something that worked for this morning sickness." Kora staggered into the bedchamber and collapsed dramatically on to the neatly made bed. She said it was like turning on a switch. She'd had no adverse effects from the pregnancy until she took the test and then BAM suddenly there was no doubt about it.

"Uh-huh," Kayla answered blandly still mesmerized by the message signal.

"Er, Kay? You alright?"

"Uh-huh."

Kora sat up full of concern for her twin. She glanced at the comm unit and back at Kayla. "Did you get a message?"

"Aye."

"And who's it from?" She asked gently, getting up and crossing the room.

Kayla blinked and took a shuddering breath. "It's from the art academy. I know they didn't accept me. They laughed at the application. There's no way they'd want someone like me."

"You know this for sure?" Kora put a hand on her sister's shoulder.

"It must be. They couldn't possibly have…"

Kora smiled warmly. "You'll never know if you don't check the message."

"Oh, I can't!" Kayla stood up, spun around so her back was facing the comm unit, and covered her face with her hands. "You do it!"

"Alright." Kora sat down in the seat and activated the message player.

Kayla turned just slightly and peered through her fingers at the words of the text.

Kora read, "Ms Bralykburn we would like to… congratulate you on your acceptance to the visual arts study program!" She faced her sister over the back of the chair and grinned. "You're in, Kay!"

"No, there's got to be some mistake. Maybe they sent it to the wrong person."

"Kay, you're the only Ms. Bralykburn I know. Unless you're counting Suza and her finger painting is good and all but I think she's a little young to be earning her degree."

"Who's earning a degree?" Emoth entered the room and Kayla ran into his comforting arms as if the news was terrible.

Kora rolled her eyes and looked back at the message. "You're oh so talented wife has been accepted into the visual arts program."

"Tre coi!" He held her out at arms length to look her in the eye for a moment before he picked her up and spun her around. "That's amazing! I'm so proud of you!"

"And." Kora held up a finger to make another point. "Not only has she been accepted but she's been offered a good bit of scholarship money. It doesn't look like quite a full ride but that will definitely help."

Kayla squirmed to be put down even though her husband's excitement was infectious and she had a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "I couldn't possibly go now. Not with Kora…"

"Don't you dare use me as an excuse to get out of this!" Her twin scolded. "You deserve this opportunity."

"Aye, she's right." Emoth tipped up her chin and kissed her. "You do deserve this."

"But what about…" Kayla blushed, threw a quick glance at her sister and then gazed back at her husband. "I thought we were going to try for number three?"

He chuckled deeply and kissed her again. "We can still do that in Iziz. What are a couple of art school kids supposed to do between classes?"

Kora took that as her cue to make an exit. "I'll leave you two to work out the details. Mind if I tell the others?" They didn't look as if they minded much at all. "Alright then." She set the sound proofing and the lock as she made her way out the door.

Emoth mentally thanked his sister in law. He was too busy kissing and undressing his wife to do so aloud.

But Kayla stopped him and pushed back to look him in the eyes. "I can just do the holonet classes and we can stay here at the Hold."

"No." He shook his head and carressed her face. "You can't learn sketching and painting and whatever else from a hologram. I want you to have the full experience." He smirked. "Okay maybe not the working from live nude male models."

She punched his arm playfully.

He winced and moaned but then returned to smiling. "You sacrificed when I finished up my technology degree."

"Which you were able to do on the holonet while I nursed Jak in the same room," she countered.

"We will make what sacrifices are necessary for you to make the most of this opportunity."

Kayla took a deep breath as if about to launch into another million reasons why she couldn't do this right now.

Emoth on the other hand had other ideas. "And right now I'd like to make the most of this opportunity, alone with my wife, celebrating how kriffing talented she is?"

Kissing him back was the only response she gave.

…

"Are you ready to see your little one?" Kayla gushed, practically leaning over Kora in the midwife's waiting room.

"Aye," Kora admitted. "Not that we'll be able to see as much as Lux and Dalla."

"Just you wait ten more weeks and it'll be your turn." And maybe that wouldn't be the only event in ten weeks. She'd even scheduled a blood test today to confirm her secret hope.

"I guess so. I just hope everything looks alright."

"It will," Kayla promised. She would have continued but the ultrasound room door opened and the family who'd held the first appointment of the day walked out.

"A little boy!" Lux cheered and shuffled through the newly-printed sonogram photos while Dalla followed leading Ros by the hand. "We're going to have a son!"

Kayla squealed. "Congratulations!"

Kora took advantage of the distraction to grab Cade's hand and slip into the scan room.

Dalla grinned. "Ros, we girls have to stick together now. We no longer outnumber Daddy."

"Dada!" Ros stuck out her hand and toddled toward him.

"That's it, get him!" Dalla egged her on. "Get him, Ros!"

Lux cried out in mock terror of the approaching toddler. "No! Have mercy!"

Dalla just laughed.

"Are you going to unleash the next one on me?" He tried to defend himself against the "attack" with the sonogram photos before he surrendered and picked up Ros to tickle her. "Maybe I'll send him after you."

"You'll do no such thing to our sweet boy." She hugged him, the attempt made somewhat awkward by Ros and her baby bump but with such joy shining in her eyes there was no doubt to the authenticity of her words. "Salt gods, Lux, I lo-"

A bloodcurdling screech drowned out the rest of her sentence. "You see _what?!"_

Everyone in the waiting room nearly toppled over from the force and shrillness of the scream, but Kayla would know that voice anywhere. In almost one motion she jumped out of her chair and opened the door to the ultrasound room.

Kora lay on the table with her eyes glued to the ultrasound screen, a screen which showed two distinct dark spots with two distinct little beans in them.

Kayla's hand flew to her mouth as Cade's jaw dropped and the sonographer answered the million-credit question … "Twins."

"You're kidding." Kora sucked in a breath and tightened her grip on the sides of the table. "You're _kidding."_

"I'm not." The sonographer zoomed in on the images. "See, there are the babies and there are the heartbeats…"

Kora had stopped listening to her long before and instead turned her attention to Cade standing beside her slackjawed.

"Cade. Alon. Blackwell."

Emoth whistled. "Salt gods Cade, you _cog…"_

After not moving for a solid minute Cade's face started to revert to its usual joking expression. But before he could say anything catastrophic Lux grabbed his arm and yanked him out of the room without gentleness or ceremony.

The nurse in the hallway didn't pay much attention to the situation. "Kayla Bralykburn? Come on back."

Kora coughed. "Kay, you have an -?"

"It's not a big deal," Kayla lied. "It's just some routine testing."

"Nurse, Kayla will be just a second." Dalla replied and shoved Ros into Emoth's arms. "Emoth, I'm too pregnant to pick her up and Lux is busy. Watch her."

Unencumbered by toddlers Kayla had already rushed to Kora's side. "Twins? What a … what a blessing!"

"Or a curse," Kora mumbled. She was still white-knuckling the sides of the table and hadn't moved an inch. "I don't think Cade realizes…"

There was a slap and all attention shifted to Lux, who used the momentum gained from smacking Cade up the back of his head to spin his brother-in-law around to face the sonogram. "Do you see that picture?" He gave Cade a shake ensure the point sunk in. "You're a father now, so start acting like one!"

"Oh, he's learning fast," Dalla assured her.

"Well, I guess that means I should…" Kayla backed away from her sister, giving room to Cade to return to Kora's side. "Wish me luck," she added before she went to follow the waiting phlebotomist.

Emoth passed the rather confused Roisin on to Lux before he excused himself and ran after Kayla.

"He's right." Cade gave his wife a sad cog grin. "We've got babies on the way. You always said you wanted one of each."

"Aye." Kora took a shaky breath. "Of course it might be two girls like me and Kay. Or salt gods," she stated with a frown sounding more like her regular self. "We might have another double trouble on our hands!"

The sonogram tech let the couple marvel a little longer at the sight of those two healthy flashing heartbeats. She was just printing off the flimsi copies for them to keep when Emoth burst out of the laboratory door.

"Number three!" He exclaimed pulling a beaming Kayla along with him by the hand. "We've still got both of you beat!"

Kayla shook her head. "Of course this means we're not going to Iziz. I'm just going to have to comm the academy and tell them I can't possibly..."

"Oh no!" Kora protested now back of her feet and totally in control of the situation. "You're going to Iziz! These two aren't coming out until after your semester is over and you will barely be into your third trimester."

Kayla sighed. "Alright. As long as you comm me with updates every day."

"You know I will," Kora promised.

"And Papa will be here soon for the Northern summit, so he'll make sure that you're alright before I leave." The thought reassured Kayla and her twin but wasn't as comforting to the listening Blackwells.


	39. The Room Where it Happens

**THE ROOM WHERE IT HAPPENS**

A Blackwell and a Bralykburn walk into a room, diametrically opposed foes. But will they emerge with a compromise, having opened doors that were previously closed, bros?

Will the two of them emerge with a new plan of attack, information they can shape however they want?

They could emerge with a new perspective. And here's the piece de resistance.

...

"You see Kora, there's really nothing to worry about." Hugo gestured to the numerous datapads he'd gathered on the table between the two of them. "As long as you take care of yourself and have regular appointments with the midwife, then you and your babes will be just fine."

Kora was not to be dissuaded. "Look at the risks, Papa." She grabbed a few 'pads in quick succession and pointed to the risk factors. "Twins, or other multiples. Twins, or other multiples. Having twins is a risk factor for everything!"

He should have practiced for this. "Kora, your sister has had two children and she's pregnant now. Your sister-in-law is pregnant now. I swear, nothing's going to happen in this holdfast with the three of you looking out for each other and the midwife watching you like a hawk."

"But what if the midwife doesn't catch it?" Kora worried. "So many of these are sneaky, like you don't know what's going on until it's too late."

"But they're not likely for a healthy young lady like you," Hugo reassured her.

"Still," his daughter shifted uncomfortably. "All the sites say that - that family history is a big risk factor, too."

Hugo's heart twisted a little. "The healer says you're nothing but healthy. And as long as you're properly attended to, then the birth will be smooth sailing." He tried to ignore the fact he'd said the same thing to Suzelle when she was pregnant with the twins. "I need to get ready for these meetings. I'll see you for lunch, and I hope you'll put this out of your head."

Kora nodded but it was probably more to make him feel better than because he'd put her at ease. Hugo knew what her facial expressions meant.

Why had he thought this was a good idea? All he'd done was let her know everything that could possibly go wrong and that having twins was a risk factor for each. He should have skipped the research and just arrived early to this summit to tell Kora a bunch of sweet nothings, but of course he'd thrown in the useless effort. He wouldn't have even had to do it if she'd been married to a suitable man, and not that immature pervert Cade Blackwell. Anyone could tell he was useless at putting Kora's mind at ease. Hugo had been a wonder with Suzelle, if he did say so himself. He'd gotten her pretty things because he knew how much she liked them, and whenever she got worried he'd redirect her attention to the nursery they were setting up, or whatever they were doing that day.

 _"_ _I'm lucky," she told him once while they sat by the fire. "As long as you're here and you've got your head on straight, I don't have to worry about anything."_

If only he'd known that Suzelle really did have something to worry about.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of a door opening

Cade rushed in as his father-in-law left the room and they glared at each other warily. Then Cade surveyed the pile of medical media on the table and huffed, "Why do you let him scare you with all this osik?" He shoved the pile away and took her in his arms.

She clung to him. "Because he's my Papa and he wants what's best for me and for our babies. And because he was there for my Momma when she was pregnant with me and Kay."

"Kora, you are not your mother." He gently but firmly forced her to look him in the eye. "You are going to get through this and you are going to be an amazing mother to our children. Do you know how I know this?"

"Your amazing beast master ability to see into the future?" She cracked a humorless smile thinking he was just joking as usual.

"No," Cade said. "I know because you are the most stubborn woman I know. You are exactly like your father and he was an amazing dad because he raised you and your sister on his own. I know I could never do that." Tears filled his eyes. "You are going to get through this because I can't do this without you."

"Oh Cade." She crashed into him and they were kissing again.

Hugo didn't stay to watch the rest but he did wipe a tear from his eye as he made his way to the meeting room. Maybe that Cade Blackwell wasn't such a bad kid after all. At least he had the sense to admit when he was weak.

He'd expected the meeting room to be empty, but when he arrived Dalla was setting out the datapads.

"Lord Bralykburn." She set the last 'pad in place and made her way over to him. "I wasn't expecting you for a little longer. How's Kora?"

"Terrified," Hugo admitted. "Only got worse when she found out she's got two in there."

"Aye. I thought she was going to rip Cade's face off." Dalla rubbed her back.

"You're not far enough along to be doing that, are you?" She didn't look it. Kora had said that Dalla was six months pregnant, and she was showing but it wasn't like she'd stuffed a melon under her shirt.

"Making fun of the pregnant woman's weight?" She groaned.

"Or lack of it." He picked a chair and sat down. "I thought your husband would have helped you set up. Or is he too busy with royal business to bother with us northern fleas?"

"Lux is meeting the other lords and ladies, just as we met you when you arrived."

That made good sense but Hugo wasn't about to let it go. "I never know with him, if he's man enough to do something on his own or if he needs his wife to cheer him on like a cog pup."

Dalla glared at him. "You are speaking about my husband and the father of my children, and I will _not_ tolerate you insulting him under my roof, in my own -" she grimaced and grabbed her back again.

Hugo sat up straight. That wasn't normal. Dalla never stopped while she was building up a slam, especially when it was him she was slamming. "Lady Blackwell, is something wrong?"

She shook her head. "The only thing wrong is your insulting Lux."

 _Lies._ Hugo was no healer but he'd seen plenty of pregnant women, and while Yanara and Suzelle had both asked him to massage or get pillows for their backs, neither of them had a backache this bad. Only when… _Stay out of it, Hugo. This isn't your problem; it probably isn't even a problem at all. You were just reading to Kora about all this._

All of a sudden he felt a jolt, like someone had walloped him over the head. No, not just someone. Suzelle! Suzelle used to do that when he was going on and on about Jamos Blackwell's spoiled arse or forgot to hold a door for a lady or was otherwise being a bonehead.

He heard her voice in his head clear as day: _Hugo Euron Bralykburn, you help that girl._ And he knew that if this was one of his girls, he'd want Marlon Blackwell to help them.

"You should sit down."

"I'm fine." She leaned on the table and rubbed her back.

"Dalla!"

She froze. Hugo had never called her by her first name before.

He stood up and gestured to the chair. "Sit down, and put your feet up on the table."

Dalla sat down slowly, still staring at him.

"How long have you had this backache?" He asked and took the chair next to her.

"An hour or two." She winced again and this time, she rubbed her belly.

That wasn't good. "You're having cramps too?"

"No, it's indigestion. It must be something I ate." She wrung her hands in her lap. "Aunt Shara made her fruit cake last night and I was craving sweets, I must have eaten too much or eaten it too soon before I went to bed…"

Indigestion didn't do this. She was babbling and she must have known it, he could tell from her wringing hands. She was panicking and denying the truth, just as Suzelle had.

"Your pain," Hugo said carefully. "Is it anything like when you had your little girl?"

Dalla grabbed the armrests of the chair and looked at him like he was insane. "When I had my - Lord Bralykburn, what do you mean? I can't be in labor, I'm only six months along."

He might have thought so too if he hadn't just been reading all that medical osik with Kora. Instead he wordlessly reached over and pressed his fingertips against her abdomen.

"What are you doing?" She flinched.

"Don't move." He could feel it just starting, and prayed it was just her tensing up from his unexpected touch. He sighed. _Well kriff._ "Put your arms around my neck. We're going to the midwife."

"What?" Dalla frantically shook her head. "No, I don't need to go to the midwife, I just have to get a pillow for my back."

"What I just felt was a contraction," he announced. "Your babe wants to meet you early, and only the midwife can make him stay put. Now put your arms around my neck so I can pick you up. You can't walk that far."

Dalla bleached and for a second Hugo thought she was going to pass out. But in a second her body relaxed and she whispered. "Oh my gods."

Hugo scooped her up with no protests. "Dalla, where's your husband?"

"At the harbor. Oh gods, he needs to know. I have to tell him, he's watching Roisin…"

They didn't have time for the harbor. "We'll call him from the midwife's. Until we get there, _don't move."_

…

 _Dammit Bonteri, pick up your comlink!_

Hugo glared at his comlink while it politely asked him to leave a message after the beep and then just hung up.

"What is it?" Dalla asked from her bed on the other side of the room.

"Your husband must have his comm on silent for the summit," Hugo relayed. "He'll call back when he sees the missed calls though. Nothing to worry about."

They had plenty to worry about already. When they reached the midwife's Hugo had barely gotten the words "preterm labor" out of his mouth before the woman ushered them inside and examined Dalla. Hugo had turned his back for that part, but next thing he knew Niamh was ordering Dalla to pretend she was glued to the bedsheets and setting up an IV. Before she'd left, she whispered to him: "keep her calm, and comm her husband."

Keep her calm, and comm Lux Bonteri. Should have been easy, but it looked like nothing was going to be easy today.

"How many times have you commed him?" Dalla asked.

 _Four times._ "Twice."

"That isn't like him."

"I've got it under control." He gave her a reassuring nod. "He'll be here in no time; you rest."

"I can't." She glanced to the monitors. "It's not stopping. What if he comes? He's too little! His lungs don't work yet!"

"The drugs need time to work. Keep timing the cramps, and if they don't slow down then we'll bring Niamh back in."

"How did you know what was happening? I should have known, but I panicked." She swallowed hard. "My baby needed me and I panicked."

"It happens," Hugo looked down at his comlink to check for any comms from Bonteri. "I've just been there before."

Wrong thing to say. Dalla's eyes went wide. "Your second wife, Kora and Kayla's mother. Oh my gods, I'm going to -."

"We caught this early," Hugo broke in. "You and the babe are going to be fine. This is different than what happened to Suzelle." His voice caught on his wife's name.

"I'm sorry," she wiped tears from her eyes. "I shouldn't have said that. I'm scared and I need to just shut my mouth."

Dalla Blackwell, shut her mouth. He almost laughed, but instead he offered his hand and she clutched it like a lifeline.

"You're going to be fine," he promised. "Your husband will get here soon, and the two of you will be home to your little girl in no time." _That is, if Bonteri would answer his kriffing comlink!_

Dalla hadn't heard him. She grimaced and put her free hand on her belly. "Hugo, I don't think the drugs are working. Please get Niamh."

Hugo extracted his hand from hers and flagged the midwife down from another room before yanking his comlink from his pocket and checking again.

If he had to stay here and watch while this woman lost her baby or her own life, he was going to feed Lux Bonteri to chirns. Hugo couldn't do that again, not after Suzelle. Not since he remembered the blood and the panic and the helplessness all too well.

 _Salt gods, if you make me do that I will turn you into powder and use you to season Bonteri before I feed him to the chirns._

Just like that, he had a revelation: he didn't need to reach Bonteri. He just needed someone who could.

Hugo stabbed in Marlon's frequency.

...

The northern lords sat uncomfortably around the table in the meeting room, occasionally glancing sideways at the two empty chairs.

Marlon broke the silence once again: "I'm sure my daughter and Lord Bralykburn will show up any time now."

"Marlon, think about it," Glover Harkon gestured to Hugo's and Dalla's seats. "Those two, alone together? They're trying to murder each other."

"Aye, they are," Lord Flint agreed before Marlon could reply.

"Taking bets now. Which one's winning?"

Everyone started making their mock bets when Marlon's comlink went off and he checked the ID under the table. Hugo Bralykburn. Finally, some answers.

"Hold those bets. It looks like we have some answers after all," he said and held it up for the rest of the room to see the ID before he answered. "Hello?"

 _"_ _Is your southern landlubber of a son-in-law in the room?"_ Hugo demanded.

Normally Marlon would have drawn the line right then and there, but there was something in Hugo's voice that prompted him not to. "Aye, Lux is here. What is it?"

 _"_ _Put me on speaker!"_

Without asking why, Marlon made the switch. "Alright Hugo, you're on-."

 _"_ _Bonteri, you frakking useless beast-riding clod, are you deaf?!"_

The entire table jumped; Hugo was practically roaring. Lux regained his composure faster than the rest of them. "What do you mean, am I deaf?" he demanded.

 _"_ _I mean that I've commed you four kriffing times and you haven't picked up! Is it too much to expect a man to check his comm unit?"_ He released a muttered stream of swear words while Lux fished his comlink out of his pocket and turned it back on. _"Kriff, we don't have time for this. Get your arse to the midwife's. Dalla and the babe are in trouble."_

Lux jumped out of his seat. "What?"

"What's wrong with them?" Marlon cried.

 _"_ _She's having preterm labor. It isn't good, the drugs aren't working like they're supposed to. You'd better get here quick, Bonteri. She's terrified and the midwife says that's not good for either one of them."_ There was a sound from another room and Hugo abandoned the roar for a hissed whisper. _"Hurry! If you leave her alone much longer, I swear -"_

Lux grabbed his coat off the rack by the door and was about to race out when he suddenly remembered something and turned to Marlon. "Roisin. Will you -?"

"I'll watch her. Go!"

Lux barreled out of the meeting room in a full sprint.

"Hugo, he's on his way," he promised, his own stomach twisting with fear for his child and grandchild. "Hang in there."

Another cry, this one Marlon would know anywhere.

 _"_ _I hope he's not too late,"_ Hugo said and hung up.

…

As soon as Hugo got off the comm he stepped back into Dalla's room. "Your husband's on his way now. He'll be here soon," he announced and took a seat in the "husband chair." What a relief it would be when the actual husband got there to claim it.

"Thank the salt gods," Dalla breathed. "I was so worried he wasn't going to get here, that something was going to happen to us and he wouldn't even know until it was too late. At least he'll be here now, so in case something happens…"

"Nothing is going to happen."

"I would think that too, if these drugs were _working!"_

"Take a breath," Hugo ordered. No woman in labor was entirely rational, but neither of them could afford to have her go off the rails. "He'll be here in five minutes. You can hold it together for five minutes." He changed the subject. "When I went to see Kora I saw Suza and Ros playing in the hallway. I think they were coloring."

"They love coloring." Dalla took a deep breath. "They're too little to really know what they're doing, but they love the crayons and the colors. Mostly they just dump the crayons out of the box and grab them."

The mental image of his granddaughter surrounded by crayons was almost too adorable. "Just you wait until they draw on the walls."

"That hasn't happened yet, but they did get into Kayla's art supplies once and that wasn't a good day. It took forever to scrub all the paint off them."

That mental image was, if possible, cuter. Why didn't he ask Kayla to send him more holos? "None of the office supplies have fallen victim yet?"

"No, not yet. But the baby's crib did. That was how Lux and I found out they'd gotten into the paints. This little guy is going to have bright pink and green handprints on his crib." Her lip wobbled. "If he makes it that far…"

He couldn't let her dwell on that. "So you're having a boy. Have you picked out a name?"

She nodded. "Noah."

"Noah. I like that. When Yanara was picking names for our son she might have run that one by me." That wasn't exactly the truth, Yanara had been dead set on "Dominic" from day one, but he had to have something to say. "Good, solid name there."

"If he was a girl we were going to name him Steela, after Lux's greatest friend. And growing up, Sloan Noah Murphy was like my brother," she explained. "It was Lux's idea."

"Well it was a good one."

Just then there was a commotion at the front of the building and the bell rang to signal someone had come in. Didn't take a rocket scientist to determine who it was.

Hugo patted Dalla's arm. "I'll send him in for you."

As soon as he walked out of her room the smile fell from his face and he stalked past Niamh, straight to Lux Bonteri in the entryway. The senator looked like heck, his hair blown everywhere and his coat buttoned up wrong like he'd fastened it while running. As soon as he saw Hugo he rushed up to him: "Lord Bralykburn, thank the gods. Where's Dalla? Is she okay? Is the baby? Is she having him?"

"Wouldn't you like to know? I've been trying to get ahold of you for _hours._ Why didn't you pick up your comm?!"

"I had it turned off for the summit. I didn't think something like this could happen." Lux tried to look around Hugo but the older man blocked him.

"Your poor wife is frantic. She's convinced the babe is going to die, or she's going to die, or both! I've tried to calm her down but she keeps asking for you. Salt gods Bonteri, how could you leave your woman hanging like that?"

"Because I didn't know she was here. As soon as I found out I got here as fast as I could. Please, where is she?" When Hugo didn't give him an answer immediately Lux straightened up and then in a voice Hugo didn't think could come out of Lux Bonteri, uttered: "Nevermind. Get out of my way," and shoved past him and into Dalla's room.

Hugo watched their shadows embrace each other, and just then someone said "You did the right thing, you know."

He turned around to see Niamh standing behind him.

"Bringing her here when you did," she clarified. "And carrying her. If she'd walked here, she wouldn't be going home with a babe today."

Her words took a weight off Hugo's chest. "So they're going to be alright?"

"Thanks to you." Niamh gave him a nod of respect before she ducked off to deliver the news to the couple.

Hugo watched them from the hallway: the relieved grins, a kiss, and a thousand questions about what happened and what to do next.

He was so glad Suzelle bonked him over the head one last time.

…

He was six hours late to the summit, but it turned out nothing much had happened anyway. The other lords had waited for him and Dalla, and once they realized neither one was showing up they'd tried to continue, but eventually called the meeting off. Glover Harkon got a keg and they'd all poured themselves a pint for the meeting room table.

Glover had set one aside for him, but Hugo wasn't in the mood. Not for ale, and not for the company of his fellow lords. He desperately needed to hold one of his grandkids, and if Kora had heard what was happening (how could she not?) then she probably needed his reassurance as well.

He started down toward Emoth and Kayla's room when a man-sized blur nearly knocked him off his feet with a tackling hug. Hugo went stiff as a board.

"Thank you," the blur said. "Hugo, thank you. You saved my niece. I don't know what would have happened had you not been there."

Now he knew who it was. "Jamos Blackwell, do not hug me."

Jamos froze like he hadn't realized what he was doing either, and then let go. The two men stared at each other uncomfortably. Their rivalry had mellowed a bit over the years but not much, and certainly not enough for them to embrace. If it hadn't been for the day's events, Hugo mused, Jamos would sooner punch him than hug him.

Jamos swallowed and took a sudden interest in his boots. "Dalla's on bed rest, but I'm sure you know that already seeing as you were at Niamh's with her. Lux has got her all set up in their room. Shara and Kayla are bringing in everything you could think of and more."

"What about Kora?"

Jamos shrugged. "Kora...Kora is on self-imposed bed rest. Cade's working on her now."

"I'll go talk to her." Though he doubted he needed to. Kora's bed rest strike would end as soon as she needed to use the 'fresher.

"That should help." Jamos lifted his gaze from his boots. "I'm not going to pretend we have the highest opinions of each other, even after Emoth and Kayla turned out so well. But I'll admit you proved me wrong today. You went above and beyond the call of duty to help a woman you don't like, from a house you despise. I...I didn't think you had it in you."

Hugo forced a laugh. "I carried your stick of a niece to the midwife's and sat in a chair. You thought I couldn't do _that,_ Jamos Blackwell?"

"You sat for hours. It isn't easy to sit next to a woman in labor for hours and not have her bite your head off." He smirked. "I should know. I've done it five times."

"Six," Hugo corrected him automatically and then cleared his throat to explain. "There was the one you lost early on."

"Aye, there was." Jamos had never forgotten that baby, but he was shocked that Hugo remembered. "As soon as we got the test that little one was part of the family."

Hugo shamefully remembered his initial reaction to finding out about Jamos and Shara's miscarriage. He'd laughed, and Suzelle had heard. He hadn't gotten halfway through explaining it to her when she slapped him up the back of the head and yelled _"What are you doing laughing at those poor parents, you lout?"_

 _"_ _Well maybe those two will grow up now. Besides, it's not like they lost a real kid or anything."_

 _"_ _Tell me. When your Yanara told you that you were gonna be a father, how did you feel?"_

He shut up after that, because he knew that as soon as Yanara's and Suzelle's tests had turned positive those babes were as real to him as if he was holding them in his arms. Just like Jamos' lost child, and Dalla and Lux's babe which was thankfully still in the galaxy.

Jamos' voice broke him out of his trance: "I know how you knew Dal was in trouble. Hugo, I'm sorry about Suzelle, how you lost her."

Hugo shook his head.

"I haven't lost all of her, like you haven't lost all of that babe," he said. "Come on, let's see if we can get Kora out of her bed."


	40. Pub Shenanigans

**PUB SHENANIGANS**

Lux banged his head on the underside of the bed and swore under his breath. "Bloody Dxun, where is it?"

"Whatever it is, I don't need it," Dalla gestured to the items Lux had gathered on the bed and bedside tables with the arm she didn't have wrapped around Roisin. "And please remember there's a child in the bed."

"Right. Sorry." Lux crawled out from under the bed. "Shara, do you know where my _Black's Anatomy_ holodisks went?"

Shara turned around so Lux couldn't see the half smile on her face. "Didn't you donate those because you could watch _Black's Anatomy_ on the HoloNet?"

Lux sighed. "Aye, I did. Thank you."

"You've got her pretty well set up," Shara turned back around just in time to see Dalla nod her agreement. "Everything is fine with the monitors. I think Mr. Noah Blackwell's decided to stay where he is."

"He better not get any more ideas," Dalla rubbed her belly. "Ros, tell baby brother he needs to stay put."

"Aye, Mommy," the little girl grinned and kissed her mother's belly.

"Niamh says he should be good to go as long as you stay resting," Lux said. "And I'll help with that. We've got books, and the HoloNet, and I put your comlink on the bedside table so just comm me if you need anything. Oh, and your first mate says you can comm him anytime to check up on the _Southern Whore._ Um, so what else is there?"

"Lux, I've got plenty of stuff. I'm wondering how you're going to fit on the bed, I have so much stuff."

"I'll fit," Lux promised. "I just want to make sure you have everything you need."

Shara smiled a little remembering Jamos's reaction to her own preterm labor scare with Kason over twenty years ago. Every husband in that situation seemed intent on helping his wife, whether it was by racing back to the Hold or by attempting to deposit everything in the building within her arms' reach.

Her comlink rang and she spared a second from getting Dalla settled to check the caller's ID.

"Maris?" she wondered aloud and then answered. "Maris, it's Shara. How are you doing?"

Maris sounded rather harried on the other line. _"Oh, I'm doin' … fine."_

"Everything going okay at the pub?"

 _"_ _That's actually what I'm commin' to talk to you about."_

Just then Shara heard a criminally out-of-tune _"Mush-a ring-um-dur-um-dah!"_ from Maris' end of the transmission, but she didn't chalk it up to much. It was a pub, after all. Even if those voices sounded a bit familiar…

"Maris, what's going on?"

 _"_ _Shara, you happen to be missing a husband?"_

It hit her. "Oh my salt gods, is that him singing?"

 _"_ _Aye. Him and Hugo Bralykburn."_

"Jamos is out drinking with Hugo Bralykburn?" She repeated just to make sure she had it straight.

 _"_ _I didn't believe it either until they sat down at the bar together, and even then Grigori kept a hand on his blaster rifle. But they weren't fixin' for a fight, they just sat down and ordered a round, then another, and another…"_

"They're drunk off their shebs, aren't they?"

 _"_ _I cut them off but they just started borrowin' from the other men's pitchers. Then they started singin'."_ She sighed and must have turned the comlink because then Shara heard the end of the drinking song clear as day. Jamos and Hugo attempted a two-part harmony, but they were too drunk to maintain it and fell back into off-key unison.

"Maris, I'll be right over," she sighed. "Just keep them from breaking anything."

 _"_ _Don't worry, I don't think there's much they can break 'sides our eardrums."_

Shara cringed. "I'll hurry."

She popped her head into Dalla's room to let her family know she was going to the pub for just a few minutes, and then set off, thanking the salt gods not for the first time that the pub was so close to the Hold.

Shara heard Jamos and Hugo before she even walked through the pub doors. They were singing a sea shanty now, and waving their mostly-empty mugs around in the air.

Maris met her at the door. "I don't need to explain, do I?"

"Just tell me they've not been playing sabaac," Shara begged. "I'd hate to think what they'd start betting if there was gambling going on while they're in this state."

"No cards," Maris promised. "Made sure of that. Heard enough stories from Ness, salt gods rest his soul."

Shara made the sign and then nodded. "Thank you, Maris. I'll get them out of your hair."

…

In a dark corner of the pub another man sat alone nursing his ale. It was the first he'd ordered but he was taking it slow. He didn't want to be out of his wits or his reflexes if it came to a fight, not like the two older men who were now as drown as fish and carrying on like they've been fast friends their entire lives.

Colin Kretash knew better. Jamos Blackwell and Hugo Bralykburn had been sworn enemies for as long as he could remember.

 _He remembered the glint from the Brylk oil lantern that reflected off the point of the harpoon and the harsh whisper in his ear, the message he was supposed to deliver. He had squeezed his eyes shut, praying to the salt gods that the madman wouldn't make him suffer, that when the blow came it would be quick. Then there was the smash when holo projector was destroyed. Colin's eyes flew open and the pirate sheathed his weapon. He seemed to really study the boy then, even tousled his hair._

 _"_ _I wouldn't hurt you lad. I've got a girl just your age and had a son…" the man's face creased in grief. "You remind me a bit of him. Do as you're told now and deliver the message." he patted Colin's shoulder. Then he turned away and returned to his harsh demeanor to deal with the captured crew on the deck._

 _"_ _You won't get away with this!" Colin squeaked after him a moment too late. He doubted whether the pirate had even heard him. But he heard Hugo alright._

 _"_ _I am not an insensitive man. I give you a choice. You are of course welcome to continue to follow your captain… into the depths to feed the chirns."_

 _There was a laugh from those who must have been the pirate's crew._

 _"_ _Or you can join the winning side and call me your Lord and captain."_

 _Low grumbles but to their credit no one gave an agreeable response._

 _"_ _Then you are all my captives!" Hugo growled. "Get 'em down below! They can rot in the Keep dungeon!"_

 _The last thing Colin heard was the marching, shuffling feet on the boards over his head. And then they left him with the ghosts._

Now Colin watched as the Captain's Lady marched across the pub. "Jamos, it's time for you to come home."

"Aww but we were havin' fun," the captain whined and then laughed.

Hugo laughed also. "Go home and kriff your wife, Blackwhelp, before I do like I said I'd do all those years ago and steal 'er away from you." And then the pirate had the gall to slap her behind.

Shara yelped and Colin was up, knocking his chair to the floor in his haste, with blaster drawn, in the next instant.

A hand grabbed his blaster arm and he heard the pubkeep's husband say "Son, you're fixin' to let that ale get you into a load of trouble."

Jamos and Hugo saw it from across the pub and burst out laughing.

"Drop the blaster," Tandin ordered and squeezed Colin's arm to further the point.

Colin glared but obeyed and dropped the blaster.

"Sit," Tandin ordered. "Sit, or go home."

Colin glared once more and then sat down hard.

Meanwhile Shara was hauling her husband out of his chair and then Hugo after him. "We're going home and you two are going to bed."

"Bed?" Jamos grinned at her.

"Don't take that any other way, love. You're drunk off your shebs." She grabbed his arm and then Hugo's. "Let's go, both of you!"

…

"Dalla, I'm so sorry," Marlon begged his daughter's forgiveness at her bedside. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't placed so much stress on you this might not be happening."

"You couldn't have stopped this," Dalla shook her head. "And you haven't placed any more stress on me than I already have. This is something that just happened, and thank the gods Hugo caught it in time."

"But what you have already is too much! Gods I wish I wasn't passing this on to you. I wish you could have had your own life."

Her brow wrinkled. "My own life?"

"You do the job you were born to do. You took on loads heavier than anyone your age should bear because you were born to it." He swallowed hard. "You married because the world expected you too."

"Father," Dalla placed her hand on his. "I'm glad I married Lux."

"Of course. You have your beautiful daughter and this one on the way…"

"Not just that. I'm glad it was him who gave them to me. He's a wonderful father. He sets the best example for how a man should treat Ros. And he's really, really funny."

Marlon almost laughed at the use of _Lux_ and _funny_ in the same sentence, but held his tongue when he saw the stars in his daughter's eyes.

"He tells me I'm beautiful and he means it every time. He's so kind. He's the kindest person I've ever met and all of it's genuine. Everything about him is." She put her hands on her belly with a shy smile. "I hope our son turns out just like him."

"So you're happy together?"

Dalla nodded. "I...I love him."

"And he loves you?"

She squirmed uncomfortably. "I haven't told him yet. I almost did at the ultrasound appointment but Kora cut me off and I've been too afraid to say it since."

"Are you worried he'll react badly?"

"I'm afraid I'll tell him I love him and he'll ask me if I mean as best friends."

"How could he say that?" Marlon grinned and shook his head. "If he's half as smart as you say he is, then he knows he's beyond lucky to be loved by you."

"I'm the one who's lucky. I'm just so scared. I've never loved someone like this Father, you know I've never been in love until now. What if he doesn't love me and I just make things awkward again, what if we can't get over it this time?"

"Dalla," Marlon looked her in the eyes. "Love is a gift, and one not many people in a marriage of convenience get to experience. Lux deserves to know he has that gift, and you deserve to know the he loves you too."

"You really think he does?" She sighed. "Maybe I'll tell him after the baby's born. We both have enough to worry about until then."

…

Hugo didn't make it back to his room when Shara finally herded him and Jamos back into the Hold. Instead he flopped down on the living room couch, declared it the softest thing in the galaxy, and passed out about thirty seconds later.

He woke up to a screaming headache and a little face about two inches from his whispering _"Gran-papa."_

"Suza!" he gasped once he'd recovered from his heart attack. "Suza, next time you wake Grandpapa up, take a step back."

Suza didn't listen. She climbed up onto the couch next to Hugo and flopped down on top of him, giggling. Hugo kissed any hope of sleeping in goodbye and scooped her into his arms. "Where's your Momma and Papa?"

Instead of answering his granddaughter pointed at the wall and Hugo followed her gesture thinking _please don't be what I think it is, please don't be what I think it is._

 _Ah kriff, it's what I think it is._

Two-year-old Roisin Bonteri stood up against the wall with a crayon in her hand, focused intently on her half of the crayon mural. The other half, done in purple crayon, must have been Suza's.

"Suzelle, tell me you didn't …"

"Pic-tah!" Suza announced.

"Aye, I see the picture." Hugo scrambled off the couch and grabbed the back of Roisin's shirt before she could draw on the walls any more. "No Ros, don't draw on walls!"

The toddler yelped at the sudden action and Hugo scooped her into his other arm so he could survey the damage. It only seemed to be crayons, thank the salt gods. Hugo didn't know what could be done had the babies gotten into paints again.

"Where are your parents?" He asked.

Suza kissed his cheek and Roisin glared at him. He'd forgotten that talking to a two-year-old was like talking to a brick wall.

"Let's go find them." And with a girl in either arm, he set off for Lux Bonteri's office.

"Bonteri?"

Lux looked up from his datapad. "Lord Bralykburn, to what do I owe the … Ros?"

"Daddy!" Roisin squirmed out of Hugo's arms and he barely got her lowered to the ground in time. "Daddy, I make Mommy pic-tah!"

"You did? Show me." Lux smiled indulgently and knelt to Roisin's level.

Hugo cleared his throat. "That's just it. These two," he gestured to Suza and then Ros. "Drew a picture. On the living room wall."

"They..?" Lux's gaze went to his daughter's innocent face and it hit him. "Ros, when I said to make Mommy a picture I meant on flimsi, not on the walls. Who was watching you?"

Did Hugo want to break it to him? He had to. "They were all alone when I woke up and saw what happened. Someone must have seen me asleep on the couch and thought I could watch them. Thank the salt gods nobody was hurt."

Lux picked up his daughter and rolled back on his haunches. "I...it was me. I forgot. Dalla usually watches her in the mornings, and with everything that happened yesterday it just flew out of my mind."

This was starting to make more sense.

"Shara can watch your daughter if you can't. I think you need some time to yourself." Hugo knew that from personal experience. After Suzelle, when he was left alone with Talia and two little babies, the minutes he caught for himself to process the situation were pure gold.

Lux nodded. "I'm going to ask her. Or Marlon. Thank you, Lord Bralykburn, for grabbing them. I'm sorry I dumped them on you; you've done so much already."

 _Aye, aye I have._ He looked at the young man sympathetically and said "If you need anything else, let me know."

Lux nodded. "I will."

"Well, that's taken care of," Hugo said with mock flippancy and turned his attention to his grinning granddaughter. "Suza, we better go tell your Momma and Papa about your picture before they find it and have a stroke." He sure was going to miss the little one when she and her brother went south with their parents so Kayla could finally have some real art instruction. Well, they'd be back before the next little one came, in time for Kora's twins hopefully.

"Hugo!"

Hugo looked back to Lux and his daughter.

"Thank you," the younger man said. "I don't know how I'm ever going to be able to repay you for what you've done."

Hugo set Suza down and keeping her in his peripheral vision, he knelt and looked Lux Bonteri directly in the eyes.

"When that baby comes, you love him." He said. "You and your wife love him as much as you possibly can, and you teach him everything there is about being a man. That's how you repay me."

And then as suddenly as he'd knelt he was back on his feet. "I'll leave you to start on your alone time, Bonteri. Enjoy it, because it won't last long."

…

It was lonely, being all by himself in the Keep with no daughters to keep him company. That's why Hugo said he was back at the Hold a scant three months later. As soon as she heard, Talia called him on it.

"You want to be around when Dalla has her baby, don't you?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Talia, don't be ridiculous. Why would I want to see Dalla have her baby? I already saw too much at the midwife's." He scoffed. "Besides, I don't like her."

"Sure, Papa." Talia laughed. "I'm waiting for Suzelle to come back and hit you again."

"Talia!"

"It's the truth," she'd razzed him and Hugo gave up.

He'd timed his arrival beautifully. Of course it was easy since Kayla couldn't keep a secret to save her life. Hugo started for the Hold when he got his daughter's breathless comm that "Papa, Dalla's gone into labor. Isn't that wonderful? Oh, and maybe Kora can stop worrying now" and he'd arrived after Kayla commed him with the update "She had the baby. Papa, you have to come. I've finished my midterms. We'll be up for a few days during my break. Oh just wait till you hear what they've named him!"

He already knew, but he didn't want to burst anyone's bubble. Hugo made his way to the Hold and met Kayla and Jak at the door.

"I told Dalla you were coming and she said she wanted to see you when you got here," Kayla grinned.

"I came here to see you and my grandchildren, not Dalla," Hugo high-fived Jak. "What do you say about going sport fishing with Grandpapa, buddy?"

"Yeah!" Jak cheered

Kayla steered her son away. "Wonderful. You can do that after you meet the new baby."

"Momma's a tyrant," Hugo whispered. "Alright Jak, I'm going to go meet your new cousin and then we'll go fishing."

Kayla nodded. "Nursery. She's waiting for you."

He gave his grandson one more wink and then set off for the nursery. It wasn't hard to find with the buzz of people in the hall. He'd waved to his family members and then popped his head into the nursery, where Dalla and Lux stood near a crib covered with toddler handprints, holding a bundle.

He knocked. "I was summoned to meet a baby?"

Dalla turned around, beaming. She was beaming! Dalla Blackwell actually beamed when she saw him, and if not for the circumstances Hugo would be worried. "Hugo! Come in."

Lux waved him in and pulled out the rocking chair for him to sit. "We were going to comm you before we heard you were already on the way."

"Can't stay away from my girls to save my life," he said nonchalantly and walked up to Dalla and her bundle. "Look at him; he's big. He'll be a strong sailor."

"I can't wait to take him on board with us." She smiled once more at her son and then out of nowhere: "Do you want to hold him?"

"Hold him?" Hugo repeated but already the baby was being handed over and he took him on instinct. When one had four kids, holding babies was practically second nature. He folded back the hood of the blanket to get a better look at his face.

The newborn was fast asleep so Hugo couldn't see his eyes, but he was willing to bet they matched the dark curls covering his head. "He's, ah…"

"His name is Noah Dominic Blackwell," Dalla said.

Whatever Hugo was going to say froze in his throat. All he could do was stare at the baby with Dom's hair and Dom's name.

"You're such a big reason that he's here in the galaxy and we would have made you his godfather but we'd already promised the Tandins," Dalla was going a klik a minute. "And then we were going to make his middle name Hugo but it just didn't go together with the rest of his name so we went with this and -."

Lux put a hand on her shoulder. "Love. Stop talking."

The spell broke and Hugo touched Noah's little cheek. It was so smooth, just like his kids' and grandkids'.

"Hello, Noah," he said. "You're going to be a great sailor when you grow up. All of us here will make sure of it."


	41. Looking in Alderaan Places

**LOOKING IN ALDERAAN PLACES**

Babies were notorious for crying during space flights and Noah Blackwell, future Lord of the North, was no exception. No matter what his parents did - holding, rocking, feeding - he screamed from liftoff in Iziz to touchdown on Alderaan, enough that Lux, Dalla, and Ros had to take a nap in their hotel room before they got dressed, packed up the kids, and set out for the Organa Estate.

"You're sure it's a good idea to bring the kids?" Lux asked as they loaded into the speeder. "Meeting at a neutral location is one thing, but we can't very well keep them separated in Leia's own home."

"As long as the contact happens behind closed doors with the shades drawn, as Senator Organa assured me it would, then we have nothing to worry about." Dalla buckled Noah's carrier into the speeder's seat. "Besides, won't it be nice for them to be together at least once?"

"You mean won't it be nice for you to rot Leia's teeth with apology candy?"

"Well, that too."

Lux knew that particular deception was hard on his wife. She would say just about anything to an enemy but to insult a child, to spread whispers of bastardy and disgust at the child's existence, was something else entirely. He wished she didn't have to do it. "You're going to love the Organas too. They're even better in person."

"I'm sure they are but they probably won't be happy if we're late to their party."

They couldn't be late. This "dinner party" had been carefully scheduled to accommodate the schedules of Bail Organa's highest-ranking allies in the fledgling rebellion and to gather them with minimal suspicion. None of the attendees could throw away an opportunity to exchange intel and work out plans, even if it meant bringing along a toddler and a two-month-old baby.

Said children were the reason they got a little flexibility from everyone else when they indeed showed up late. Bail and Breha Organa remembered well the days of the diaper bag and blowouts as soon as you tried to walk out the door and were more than willing to grant the young parents some slack, but that didn't stop Bail from teasing when they arrived.

"So you finally decided to show up? We thought you weren't coming."

Dalla bubbled over with apologies. "I'm so sorry. Noah spit up and then we couldn't find Ros's socks…"

"He understands," Breha rolled her eyes at her husband and ushered the family inside. "He knows full well how toddlers' socks go missing and you're just in time. We were getting ready to pour the wine."

"Thank you," Dalla exhaled.

"And thank you for the invitation. I'd always wanted to bring the kids to Alderaan." Lux shuffled Ros to the front of their little group. "Ros, do you remember Senator and Queen Organa from the hologram? They sent you the doll for your Lifeday."

"Thank you," Ros whispered, holding onto her father's leg.

"You're very welcome," Bail smiled.

"Oh and I've been looking forward to meeting this one!" Breha bent to get a better look at Noah's carrier. "May I hold him?"

"Of course! He loves meeting new people." Dalla carefully lifted Noah from his carrier and handed him over.

"It's been so long since Leia was at this stage. He is precious."

"The rest of the room is going to be so jealous of you, dear." Bail chuckled. "You should have seen some of them when I said a baby would be joining us. Senator Mothma almost squealed."

Lux had a sneaking suspicion his old friend had exaggerated on that one, if for no other than he couldn't picture Mon Mothma squealing for any reason whatsoever. "And what about the San Tekkas?"

"Why don't we find out for ourselves?"

...

In the dining room Soniee was trying her best to enjoy the company. She didn't have to pretend with Senator Mothma, but the dark-skinned woman across the table raised alarms which a year ago didn't exist.

Idryssa Barruck hadn't done anything objectionable, in fact she was the most level-headed person with known connections to Saw Gerrera. However the fact she belonged to that group at all was a red flag considering who was about to walk in the door. If Soniee knew anything, she knew that Lux and Dalla didn't know who they were about to have dinner with.

Still, just in case Idryssa didn't… "Were you there the last time Saw was on Onderon?"

"He only told me he'd rescued the slaves." Idryssa said almost defensively. "I didn't know anything else until it boiled over."

"So you understand that the family the Organas are showing in…"

She nodded. "It's not ideal. Saw didn't want me to come at first since he knew they would show up. Something about how they'd poison my mind. But he saw the light when I reminded him how much he needed the Alliance's funding."

Soniee could believe that but it didn't assuage her worry. "Just so you know…"

"No _kriffing_ way." Lux's voice cut through Soniee's sentence like a razor.

The other guests startled but Soniee figured this was going to happen. "Lux, this is supposed to be a comprehensive meeting."

"I understand." He exhaled slowly to calm himself and turned to both her and Senator Organa. "I also understand that after what happened on Onderon, we agreed to cut ties with Saw."

"We did," Bail nodded. "However a few weeks ago Idryssa reached out to us and we agreed to hear her out. There's no harm in that."

Dalla latched onto Idryssa like an attack cog. "You want us to give Saw one more chance, is that it?"

"He's calmed down since the meetings. He has a comprehensive network and he could be helpful to this alliance, much more so than if we push him away and let him run rampant."

"He'll run rampant whether he gets another chance or not. He is erratic, emotionally unbalanced, and he doesn't listen."

"In so many words, _insane_ and with no regard for sentient life." Lux snapped. "We can't have someone like that involved in such a delicate operation."

"Maybe that will be the case," Mon Mothma intervened with well-needed grace. "Maybe he's a more dangerous enemy than ally. We'll come to a conclusion over dinner."

Lux and Dalla looked at each other. On the surface it seemed like a husband and wife searching for support, but Soniee sensed a twinge through the force. It didn't feel questioning, like one would expect. It felt more like Lux and Dalla had just made a serious decision.

Breha bounced Noah in her arms in an attempt to change the subject: "Do you see this little boy? Isn't he adorable?"

"He is just." Soniee gushed. "May I have a turn? I haven't got a chance to meet him yet."

Breha reluctantly handed Noah over. "Just as long as I get another."

"And is this Roisin?" Korkie asked, kneeling to the little girl's level. "I haven't seen you since you were a baby."

"Remember the stories about your Godfather Korkie and Godmother Soniee?" Dalla led Ros forward. "He looks for treasures across the galaxy?"

"Did you find any?" Ros asked.

"I found lots," he held out his hand. "If your parents say it's okay, I can tell you all about them."

Lux and Dalla nodded and Ros went off with her godfather.

Soniee had a feeling she knew why he'd left, and it had everything to do with Noah burbling in her arms. It must be hard for him to see the two of them together as it was for Soniee.

The old grief almost dwarfed the sick feeling in her stomach as she realized what Lux and Dalla must have decided. If Saw Gerrera was going to live to wreck havoc another day, she had to act. Fast.

…

Lux spoke for himself and for Dalla during the meetings, not out of any sense of superiority but of necessity. Dalla couldn't argue and do math at the same time and they were going to need all her focus to pull this off.

She drew out the equations under the table, hoping no one could notice the slight movement of her arm. It wasn't hard to pick a poison from the limited stash she traveled with, but the route would be the trick. There was no way Saw would eat anything delivered to him, and she didn't have gloves to apply a topical poison. Looked like an inhalant was her best (and only) option.

As for the vehicle? Simple once she knew what she was dealing with. Saw Gerrera would hold few things close to his face and the one she could whip up right here, tonight, was word from his long-lost "love," Soniee.

Forge a letter, smother it in deadly powder, seal it up and hand it to Idryssa. Piece. Of. Cake. Now all she had to do was escape the dining room.

"If you'll excuse me," she stood and reached to take Noah from Senator Mothma, "But it's time for him to eat."

"Don't feel like you have to leave on our account," Breha said. "There's no shame in feeding your baby."

She really was too kind and under any other circumstance Dalla would have taken her up on her offer. "That's very kind of you, but I like to have a little more privacy. I'll just step into the hall."

"There's a sitting room down the hall you can use if you wish. Third door on the left."

Jackpot. "Thank you."

"I'll take notes for you." Lux wrapped an arm around her waist and tilted his head back for a kiss.

She obliged him. "I'll be right back, love."

With Noah nuzzled against her chest Dalla made her way into the sitting room, shut the door, and then pulled out the flimsi and envelope Lux had slipped her.

"Alright Noah, are you ready to do politics with Mommy?"

Noah waved his little fists as she set him down and she couldn't help but smile. She probably would have to feed him while she was writing the letter but before she applied the poison. She loosened the bodice of her dress and settled him into position, uncapping her stylus with her left hand. With the same hand she wrote _Sawyer_ on the back of the envelope in her best approximation of Soniee's script.

"Now what should we put for the letter itself?"

Noah, otherwise occupied, didn't respond.

"Should we go with exactly what Saw wants to hear?"

The baby made a satisfied sound.

"Aye, let's go with that."

She decided "my dearest Sawyer" would be overkill so she went with _Dear Sawyer:_

 _The reason I haven't reached out to you for so long is because it's taken me all this time to work up the courage to say this to you. I'm sorry it took all this time._

 _When I left Onderon I was scared and I wanted nothing more than to go back home and forget everything. I ran back to Korkie because he felt like home, but every moment I'm with him I could only think of you. I can't stop thinking of you._

 _You're fighting against the Empire, I know. I've been trying to do the same but it's not working. The way Korkie and Lux and Dalla want to do things doesn't work. You were right. I see that now. I want to help you, but more importantly I want to be with you._

 _Every moment I was with you on Onderon, you took my breath away-_

(That was the closest Dalla was going to get to signing this letter.)

 _And no one else ever has. You make me feel alive, like I'm someone truly special and not just the girl from down the hall. I should have realized it before, and I do now. I love you. I want to be alive with you forever._

 _Send word. I'll be waiting for you._

 _Love, Sanya_

And now for the finishing touch. Dalla pressed the letter to her lipsticked lips, leaving a light pink print. If that didn't get Saw to bring his face to the paper, nothing would.

She folded the flimsi careful not to smudge the kiss. Once Noah finished eating she would add the powder, seal the envelope and give it to Idryssa as a "personal message." Hopefully a few days later, she and Lux would wake up to a news holo announcing Saw's death.

"You're welcome, Emperor Palpatine. That's the last favor I'm doing you," she muttered.

Noah finished and once she got him situated his little eyes were almost closed from his milk coma. That was a blessing at least, she thought as she pulled the vial from her purse. He was really too young to see this.

 _Please don't let them see._

The memory was fuzzy, probably because she was drunk when she made it, but she still remembered the desperation in her voice while she begged Steela Gerrera to cover Kason's and Thias' eyes so they wouldn't see Dalla kill herself if the execution went wrong.

And bless her, Steela replied. _I won't let them look. But you have to promise that if something happens to me, you won't let Saw do something stupid. It's only fair._

Steela kept her promise on the steps of the palace. And now here Dalla was, about to pour poison into a letter to kill Steela's brother.

 _He's gone crazy, Steela. He tried to kill me. He kills innocent people every day._

No response from Steela, only the gnawing knowledge that she was currently zero for three on keeping promises to her late friend.

 _Look, if Saw was in this position he wouldn't hesitate to send me a poisoned letter. Although he probably wouldn't go so far as to pretend it was from Lux._

Even she had to admit faking a love letter was low. And she didn't like how the thought of Saw realizing Soniee hadn't written it made her feel satisfied.

Just as she was about to uncork the vial her comlink rang and she checked the ID. Aunt Shara. Like she needed another compunction about what she was about to do, but she still answered. "Hello?"

 _"_ _Dalla, you need to come home right away,"_ Aunt Shara sounded shaken to the core. _"It's...it's your father."_

"My what?"

…

Lux hoped he'd given Dalla enough time to work her magic, and that he was causing enough of a distraction for her to get away with it.

Soniee clearly suspected something. He could tell from the occasional glance she leveled in his direction and then Idryssa's. Thank the gods Korkie had stepped out, or he didn't know what they could accomplish together.

He forced himself to refocus on what Senator Organa was saying. Something about allocation of funds to different branches of the rebellion, a small amount of which would be going to Saw's partisans.

"Exactly how small of any amount would this be?" He asked, not that it would matter.

"Minimal," Organa sensed the tension. "This is a gesture of goodwill to Saw as well as an insurance policy. If he's taking our credits we can keep a better eye on him."

"I suppose," he simmered and sank back into his chair.

It was getting harder to keep his expression neutral. He'd fantasized about ending Saw ever since the partisan put his hands on Dalla. Lux had been angry enough to kill him. The only reason he didn't beat Saw to a pulp on the floor of the refugee center was that he didn't want Dalla and the little girl, Jyn, to see. It was satisfying to know the deed was finally going to be carried out.

But the more content Lux became the more determined Soniee did.

"Well I think that concludes our business," Organa happily clasped his hands. "Let's bring out the dessert!"

"Not quite yet," Soniee interrupted. "Lux, there's something you need to you."

Whatever it was, the Organas knew and they didn't like the idea. "Soniee," Breha whispered. "We agreed...he's so happy with her…"

"He deserves to know, Your Highness."

He broke into the circle: "What is it that I deserve to know?"

Soniee closed her eyes. "It's Ahsoka. She...she's alive."

Lux grabbed the table to steady himself. "She's alive? She survived the purge?"

"Yes. It was a close call but she did."

"Well where is she? Does she know I was looking for her? How did you find out she was alive? Is she working with -?"

Just then Dalla burst through the door, her face red and streaked with tears and snot. "I-I'm sorry," she hiccupped.

"Dalla? What's wrong?" This, he was sure, was not an act.

"It's, it's my father. Aunt Shara just commed. She said he's had a …" her voice broke and she choked back a sob. "We need to go home. It's bad."

"It's okay," Lux was out of his seat and scooping up baby paraphernalia in an instant. "We'll pack up the kids and be in orbit within the hour. As long as…" he cast a quick glance to the Organas.

"Go," Bail waved them out the door. "We're done here anyway."

"Thank you," Lux barely had time to look at them again in his rush to stuff Noah's binky into the diaper bag. Dalla dropped to her knees next to him to buckle Noah into his carrier, spilling the contents of her purse in the process.

"I've got it, you focus on him." Soniee picked up the items and the purse to put them back in order when her hands found the letter. She raised an eyebrow at Dalla.

Dalla shook her head.

There was only one reason Dalla would carry around a letter to Saw. Still Soniee knew now wasn't the time to talk about it.

In five minutes the Bonteris were off, children in tow and the pilot waiting at the landing pad.

Korkie spoke up as he watched them go: "What did they tell you?"

"It's more what they didn't tell me."


	42. Daughter of the Sea

**DAUGHTER OF THE SEA**

Kora Blackwell got along fine with her in-laws, thank you very much. Before she got pregnant with the twins she and Cade dropped by the Hold every so often, spoiled the nieces and nephews, and then hopped back on the _Beast's Ride_ without making a splash or interacting much. Now it was much harder to stay out of everyone's way.

She'd been doing something like that for the last five months. Dalla and Noah needed everyone's focus during the early labor scare and ensuing bedrest. And after he was born healthy and whole, Kora found it was simpler to keep up old habits. She had Cade, she could comm Kayla every day, what else did she need?

Cade wasn't much help for her nervousness. He was scared stiff about becoming a father, and whenever Kora brought up the babies he'd stutter and get nervous. She didn't want to worry Kayla either since her sister was busy with school. So Kora held her questions and anxieties for the midwife appointments or for when Dalla's nurse, Gretchen, stopped by.

But now Cade was off on another panic-borne voyage. Kayla was at school. And since Dalla was off bedrest, even Gretchen was gone.

That left Kora with a lot of time and even more boredom, so she resorted to the one reliably never-ending activity she had: nesting. She and Cade had gotten heaps of hand-me-downs from Jak and Ros and Suza and even little Noah, some of which hadn't even been worn. The rest she wanted to wash just one more time before she got ready to use them.

They were all adorable. What Dendup lacked in restraint he made up in style. There were little dresses and fuzzy onesies and shirts with pictures of cartoon animals. Kora's favorite though was an initially unassuming red onesie with _Nine months ago, my mommy and daddy read Twenty-five Shades of Red_ stamped across the front.

"Why are the tags still on this? It's so funny!"

She jumped when a deep voice replied from behind her: "Your sister sure didn't think so."

Kora spun around quick as she was able. Marlon Blackwell filled the doorway to the laundry room, a tenuous smile on his face.

"Cade gave it to Emoth and Kayla the salt and light they were expecting Jak," he explained. "Kayla was horrified. I doubt she meant to hand it down to you, but if you think it's funny I'm glad she did."

"Thank you Lord Blackwell." Even though she'd married his son Kora still couldn't shake the cold formality between her and Marlon Blackwell. She could count the words she'd spoken to him alone on her fingers. "I'm almost done with this load if you need the washing machine."

"I don't." Marlon rubbed the back of his neck. "I came here looking for you."

 _Why was he looking for her?_ "Is it about Cade?"

"No. I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for misjudging you when you married Cade."

She stayed silent. It wasn't a secret Marlon hadn't wanted her to marry Cade. After the fact she learned the wedding had only gone through because Dalla wanted to humiliate Kora's Papa, and Papa wanted to humiliate Dalla. Only Cade's humor had made it possible to rise above all that ugliness.

"I didn't take time to get to know you before I made up my mind against you, just like I did Lux. Well I was wrong about him, and I was wrong about you. I'm sorry, and I hope you can forgive me."

"O-of course." To tell the truth Kora hadn't paid much attention to him. There was almost nothing to forgive.

Marlon relaxed and the stiff smile became more natural. "You're a truly wonderful woman, very much like Cade's mother. I'm glad he found you."

"We're very happy together." She shifted her weight from foot to foot uncomfortably. "I only wish he was around more."

"This is a stressful and scary time, and Cade's dealing with it the only way he knows how." He took a few tentative steps closer. "But he doesn't realize that you need some help too?"

Tears welled in Kora's eyes and Marlon shuffled aside to clear the doorway.

"I may be a little biased when it comes to my children's spouses, but I have a good set of ears. Would you like to sit and talk?"

She sniffed and nodded. "Thank you."

They left the baby clothes behind and proceeded to the living room to sit on the couch. Call her crazy, but was Marlon wobbling a little as he walked?

He took a seat on the couch and Kora dismissed the concern as she sat beside him.

"I'm trying to be brave but it's not working," she admitted. "Everyone tells me the babies and I will all be fine, but they also said that to Dalla and look what happened to her! She almost lost Noah! She could have died!"

"Deep breaths," Marlon took her hand to calm her. "What happened to Dalla was scary, but it's rare."

"About as rare as having twins for your first pregnancy?"

"The odds may be elevated but they're not absolute. You still can have two perfectly healthy babies." He looked away from her to an oil painting on the wall. It looked like something Kayla would have done, depicting a younger Marlon, his wife, and a child Dalla looking out over the waves.

"That was done while Lana was pregnant with Cade," he nodded. "And the whole time I was worried about her. Having Thias born during a snowstorm with Shara acting as midwife made me think of all the things that could go wrong. Eventually though I realized it was out of my control. I had to take a step back and admit to myself that all I could do was follow the midwife's instructions and relax so I didn't place stress on Lana."

"And it worked? You sat back and relaxed and Cade came out healthy?" Sounded like a bunch of bantha fodder to Kora.

"Well it didn't cause Cade to be healthy. But it didn't hurt either. The only thing you can do, Kora, is to be vigilant but not obsessed."

She didn't respond, staring at her baby bump.

Marlon squeezed her hand.

"You can do this," he promised. "I believe in you, and I know you can do this just like my Lana."

It sounded like he wanted to say more but nothing came and Kora didn't want to break the silence. Suddenly, Marlon's hand loosened from hers.

"Lord Blackwell? Marlon?" She looked up from her baby bump and almost jumped off the couch when she saw him. The left side of Marlon's face had gone completely slack along with his hand.

"Lllana," he slurred, looking out through panicked eyes _"Lana!"_

"Cybele, _help!"_

Kora didn't have time to pray that her nurse sister-in-law had heard before both Cybele and Rayala crashed into the sitting room.

"What's going on?" Ray cried.

"We-we were just sitting here and he…" Kora didn't know how to describe it so she gestured to Marlon in panic.

"Rayala, comm for an ambulance and tell them we have a possible CVA and need a neurologist standing by." Cybele was already at Marlon's feet, instructing him to smile and to push against her hands. "Kora, get me Gretchen on the comm right now."

Whatever a CVA was, it had to be serious if it required the expertise of a neurologist and Blackhold's most experienced nurse. Without a word Kora and Rayala ran off to do Cybele's bidding.

...

Shara saw Lux and Dalla's transport touch down and was at the front door to meet them on their charge into the Hold.

"Aunt Shara, where's Father? Is he alright? You said he had a stroke?" Shara had never seen Dalla look so frantic in her life, save on the steps of the palace with Sanjay looming over her. "Gretchen's with him now, right? Oh gods, where is he?"

"He's in his room," Shara tried to place a calming hand on her niece's shoulder but Dalla shook it off. She settled for hurrying after her on the way to Marlon' room. "The doctors say he's stable but Dalla, you have to understand…"

Dalla wiped tears from her eyes. "We should never have gone to Alderaan! I can kill Saw from here, kriff it, and then I would be here when he needed me."

"Kill...Saw?" Shara sputtered but neither Dalla nor the recently-arrived Lux paid her any attention.

Lux handed Noah's carrier to her. "Shara, will you watch them so I can…" he jerked his head toward Dalla.

"Of course." Maybe while she was watching the kids she could process what she'd just heard.

Lux nodded his thanks and ran off after his wife.

Dalla didn't break stride even with him calling after her. She would have gone straight into Marlon's room had Gretchen not heard her coming and blocked the door.

"You're not going in there until you pull yourself together."

"Gretchen please!"

Gretchen didn't budge. From her experience on the _Southern Whore_ patching up captain and crew alike, Dalla didn't faze her a bit. "Your father is stable, but he's not like you remember him. There was massive damage from the stroke."

Dalla's face crumbled as Gretchen continued. "He has severe left-side deficits. He can't speak and needs assistance with eating. He can still hear you though and understands what you're saying. But you can't go in there bawling and crying. He needs you to be there for him now."

She nodded, blotting her tears away.

"You good?"

"I'm not going to be good, but at least I'm not crying."

Gretchen gave her arm a comforting pat and then stepped away from the door.

As she opened the door another voice filtered through. "I'm sure she'll be here soon. I thought I saw their transport touch down. And Thias and Cade too, they said they'd be on their way."

Kora sat beside Marlon's bed, hand in hand and with the sweetest and most nurturing expression on her face Dalla had ever seen. And Marlon…

The side of his face which wasn't frozen curled into a smile when he saw her.

"Look! She is here!" Kora grinned.

Dalla didn't even realize she'd stopped in her tracks. "H...hello, Father."

"I'll give you two some privacy," Kora disengaged from Marlon and began to awkwardly get up from her chair when he grabbed her hand.

Dalla raised her eyebrow questioningly and Kora shrugged. "I think he wants me to stay."

"Of course." Kora was truly not Dalla's top priority at the moment. She all but bolted across the room and grabbed her father's hand. "Father, we got here as fast as we could. I'm so sorry."

Marlon tried to say something and Kora spoke for him. "He doesn't blame you. Ships can only fly so fast and you needed to attend that meeting."

"I wish I could have gotten here sooner. You shouldn't have been alone."

"He wasn't alone," again Kora translated Marlon's attempts at words. "He had all of us around, but he's glad you're here now. The north needs …"

The knot in Dalla's stomach tightened. "Let's forget about the north for a few minutes."

"How?" This time the words were Kora's own. "Dalla, now you're the Lady of the -."

Marlon squeezed Dalla's hand and Kora's voice faded away.

"I don't know how I'm going to do this, Father," she whispered. "Not because you haven't taught me but because I don't know if I can do it without you."

Marlon didn't try to speak again, maybe because he didn't want the words to have to go through Kora. But his eyes said everything he couldn't.

"Dal," Lux's voice brought Dalla back to the present. "Soniee's on the secureline asking for you. I'm going to tell her to comm back so if you need me…"

"No," Dalla straightened up. "I'll be in."

"You're sure?" He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I can get rid of her and you don't have to leave your father."

"If I talk to her we'll be able to get this done and dusted. And then I can spend more time with you." She directed the last comment to Marlon, and smiled weakly.

Marlon though wasn't looking at her. Instead his gaze went from her, to Lux's arm around her shoulders, to Lux's face, and nodded.

Lux nodded back.

"The sooner we get this done the sooner we can get back," Dalla whispered. "Let's go."

"I'll be with you all the way."

…

Soniee had wanted to confront her immediately but Dalla had gotten the comm about her father. Then just as she and Korkie were preparing to leave the Organas' as well, Leia stopped her in the hallway…

 _"Are you my mother? I mean my mother and father are the best I could ever ask for but everyone says it and I just wanted to know..."_

 _Soniee stooped to the little girl's level to look her in the eye. As she did, she remembered a conversation she had had with Lux years ago about a mutual friend who had died. She had been pregnant at the time they thought the cause of death might have been the baby coming on too soon like Soniee's had. Lux had told her they suspected that the father was Rush Clovis but Soniee remembered the way Anakin Skywalker had behaved when he came to visit Padme Amidala at her apartment while Soniee was staying there…_

 _"I'm not your mother. I lost a baby who would be... just your age." She noticed Bail standing down the hallway. He must have come looking for his adopted daughter. They shared a look of understanding before she continued. "I'm sure that your mother was a wonderful woman and that she would be very proud of you."_

 _"Do you think so?"_

 _"I never knew my birth-mother either but I was able to learn about her from a journal and stories told by people who knew her. Maybe someday you'll be able to find out more about your mother as well."_

Soniee shook herself out of the memory. She couldn't think about parents and children if she was going to put her mind to confronting Dalla.

She looked down at the crumpled sheet of flimsy in her hand. She had been gripping it too hard and smudged Dalla's carefully placed lip prints.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Korkie asked, placing his hands gently on her shoulders.

She tried to steady herself. "They're going to kill him if I don't do something and I don't want…" she didn't want the blood on their hands but also… "I don't want my name attached to it."

He nodded and stepped out of the holocam's range so she could place the comm. He wasn't however going to stray too far away in case she needed him.

Lux didn't smile when his image appeared and he didn't make any promises as he went to see if Dalla was ready to speak to her.

Soniee let out a ragged breath as he left and looked down at the letter again in her hand.

"I'm right here," Korkie reminded her. "And if she's not ready, we'll try this again later on."

"She'll want to get it over with." Soniee could sense her friend's pain even before she came into view. She could almost be swayed to forgiveness, compassion, but for the letter… she'd had no idea that Dalla was capable of that kind of betrayal.

When she looked up again Dalla was standing there and the two of them just stared at each other for more than a standard minute before either of them spoke a word.

Finally Soniee broke the silence, "how is your father?"

 _"_ _He's alive. He's stable. He'll have to relearn a lot of basic things. We don't know if he'll ever speak… but that's not why you commed, aye?"_

Soniee shook her head and held up the letter. "What were you thinking?"

 _"_ _He has to be stopped. Even you should know that,"_ Dalla spat back.

"And there was no other way but to write this and sign my name to it?"

 _"_ _It had to be believable if it was going to get anywhere near him."_

"And you knew it would be believable because you knew how hard that decision was for me, to let him believe that I was dead all that time. You knew the guilt I felt that I wasn't with him to stop him every time the news came that he'd done something completely reckless and stupid."

 _"_ _Maybe you should have been."_

Soniee shook her head. "You and Lux we're the ones who pushed us together."

Dalla snorted, _"It really didn't take much pushing."_

Soniee read from the flimsi, " _The way Korkie and Lux and Dalla want to do things doesn't work…_ " She sputtered, "Why would you sign my name to this?"

 _"_ _You did want to work with him at one time. He had to believe…"_

"Did you even consider what might happen if you were successful and someone else found this letter with my name on it and yours and Lux's and Korkie's? I'm supposed to be dead! And you as much announced to the entire Galaxy that I'm still alive and that you and your husband and mine are the core of the rebellion against the Empire!"

 _"_ _Well, that's just it, Aye?"_ Dalla was fishing for the right words. She obviously hadn't put that much thought into the letter as she hurried to send it off with the unsuspecting messenger. _"You're supposed to be dead. If… if someone had found it and started asking questions we could just deny…"_

"Deny that Lux and I have been working with the rebels all this time? Deny that _you_ were the ones who got Korkie and I back together? That we are your daughter's godparents? I would _never_ sign my name to something like this that might put Ros or Noah in danger!"

 _"_ _You think I would put Ros and Noah in danger?"_ Dalla snapped. _"Everything I've done is to protect them. Saw Gerrera is a sociopath! He wouldn't hesitate to kill them for no reason other than to hurt me and Lux. They would be a thousand times safer if he was dead."_

"And what if Senator Organa found out? What would happen if the rebellion started eating its own? Did you think how you and your little poisoning gig could have dismantled the only organization standing against the Empire?"

 _"_ _I don't know if you haven't noticed through your romance-tinted glasses, but Saw is already eating his own. His death would only stabilize the main rebellion and stop giving the Empire excuses to vilify us."_

"At what cost? Becoming just like him? You tried to kill him with a forged _love letter!_ In what galaxy did you think that was acceptable? Does Lux know you did that?"

 _"_ _A love letter?"_ Lux entered the holofield and for a second Soniee thought she'd found another ally until she saw the admiration in his eyes. _"Salt gods honey, that was genius!"_

 _"_ _And what was that,_ _an attempt to turn him against me?"_ Dalla shook her head. _"Lux and I are a team. We tell each other everything."_

Soniee switched tactics. "I don't want you to have this on your conscience. When you kill someone it never leaves you. You carry their blood on your hands with you every day and you don't understand how hard it is to -."

 _"_ _It's you who doesn't understand that this had to be done! Saw is a threat to our entire planet, and the only way to deal with a threat such as him is to take him down and ensure he never gets up."_

"You could have done it another way. You don't have to kill him to take him down! Is this the kind of ruler you want to be, a tyrant whose palace runs red with blood?"

"Every _palace is drenched in blood!"_ Dalla roared. _"Dendup's, mine, all of them! Ruling requires that you destroy your enemies once and for all and if you can't deal with that, it makes you_ weak. _Maybe it's the Kira in you. The Naddists' throne was built of the bones of their enemies but once Oron Kira moved in he had it dismantled. The rest of his line has always been pathetic, hiding in the jungle instead of doing what had to be done. Thank the gods you abdicated like the rest of them. Leave the ruling to someone who can stomach the job."_

"Are you even listening to yourself?" Soniee could feel the dark power of the Force rising up within her. "In the same breath you condemn Saw and… and talk about murdering your enemies?"

Dalla's eyes lit up manically. " _So you would side with the fiend who wrapped his hands around my throat and tried to strangle the life out of me and my unborn son?_ "

Soniee's hand stretched out toward the hologram image. "I wouldn't even have to be in the same room to do what he did to you."

"Soniee, don't. This isn't you." Korkie stepped up beside her and laid a hand on her shoulder. He disregarded the electric shock he felt at the contact and the way the hair stood up on the back of his neck.

Lux had likewise jumped protectively in front of his wife, but both the Bonteris' lips were pulled back in animalistic snarls. For a single horrifying second, in the fuzzy light of the hologram, Dalla's crooked teeth looked like they had sprouted into fangs.

She scoffed. _"You eat, right Soniee?"_

Korkie squeezed Soniee's shoulder to keep her from throttling both Dalla and Lux where they stood.

Sparks danced between her fingers and the flimsi letter burst into flame. She saw the startled, fearful looks on their faces as Lux jumped forward to slam closed the comm connection. Then Soniee dropped the burning missive and threw herself into her husband's arms. "What have I done?"

…

Lux walked the halls of the Hold looking for Dalla. After he hung up on the Kryzes she'd bolted from the comm room and he hadn't seen her since.

"Dalla?" She wasn't in Marlon's room, their chambers, or either of their children's nurseries. According to her crew she wasn't with them, and Tandin said she wasn't in the pub either. It was like she'd vanished.

"Honey, where are you?"

He had to talk to her. When his parents died he'd desperately wished for someone, anyone to listen that he talked to walls. Marlon might not have died but he'd never be the same; Dalla had all but lost him just like her mother. Lux wasn't about to make her talk to walls when he was around. And after the explosion on the comm...

He was just about to pass Marlon's office when he heard the laughter coming from inside.

Dalla sat in the visitor's chair across from the desk with Noah in her arms, laughing hysterically at the empty room.

"What's going on in here?" Lux approached with caution.

"This is my office." Dalla pushed down more laughter and caught her breath. "When I was little I would ask Father when it could be mine, and now it is!"

She laughed some more and then it slowly faded and she looked down at the child in her arms.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I think I'm in a little bit of shock."

 _I'll say._ Lux made his way to the second visitor's chair and held out his arms. "Give me the baby."

Dalla handed Noah over but stroked his tiny head. "How can I do this to him? How can I make him feel like this?"

He didn't know. He didn't know how he was going to do it to Ros either, the double-whammy of losing your parent and taking on the most awesome responsibility on the planet. Not to mention he had no idea how to teach her how to be the queen Onderon needed, the killer with a conscience. The thought of his daughter having to kill turned his stomach.

Instead he changed the subject. "You said when you were little, sitting in your father's desk chair made you feel better."

She swallowed hard. "I know I have to do it. I'm not sure if I can."

"I know you can." Lux placed Noah safely on the rug and stood before Dalla's seat, taking her hands in his. "We'll do it together."

She closed her eyes and then nodded.

"Okay. Okay," she whispered. "Together."


	43. Portfolio

**PORTFOLIO**

Taking center stage in this chapter is a character we haven't heard from in quite a while. If you need a refresher on Bernard Wallace and don't want to go back and read _Polaris_ chapter 64, do you remember Sanjay's art student? The one he loved like a son and knew would never hate him?

Yeah. Same guy.

...

Finals week was so much better as a teacher than as a student. Sure, the grading kept Dr. Bernard Wallace up into the wee hours of the morning but it was all worth it to see how much his students had grown over the semester.

Kayla Bralykburn's portfolio was a perfect example. She'd shown great talent with her drawings but she needed help transferring the technique to oils. With persistence and careful instruction, she'd improved dramatically, mastering details while still capturing the radiance that surrounded each of her subjects.

"I was proud of that one," Kayla pointed to the image he was currently studying. It depicted her son and daughter coloring with chalk on a sidewalk.

"The shading's very nicely done. You've really improved on the proportions as well." He couldn't hide a smile. "And may I just say, your kids are adorable."

"Thank you, professor."

"This is just what we were going for in class." Bernard continued scrolling through the portfolio. "You've really worked hard at this."

"It was difficult, but I think I've really come a long ways." Kayla beamed, as was her custom in his class.

Bernard returned the smile and went back to her work. More likenesses of Kayla's children or her husband, or the models the class had painted. And then he changed images and came across a figure who was very unexpected indeed.

"Is this...?" He pointed.

"My husband's cousins, Dalla and Lux, and their daughter. Usually they're not keen on being painted, but they made an exception this time. They just had a little boy too, though I haven't gotten to spend any time with him yet. Maybe I'll get the chance while I'm home to deliver this one." She rubbed her belly and noticed him studying the picture. "Aren't Lux and Ros so cute?"

They were, with Lux holding the toddler up in the air and the girl grinning, but Bernard was more focused on Dalla. Of everyone Kayla could have painted, he wasn't expecting his youthful crush to be one of them. When he was a student he'd rather liked the image of Dalla his teacher created even if Sanjay thought it was a failure. And after the war, the fact she alone held the secrets of his mentor's last moments drove him to track her down until finally he found her in a pub near the Iziz harbor.

…

 _The young man looked completely out of place in the pub by the Iziz docks. He shrank from the noisy sailors, the drinking songs, and the bawdy suggestions as to what so-and-so was going to do at the whorehouse across the street._

 _If he was that uncomfortable, Dalla had no idea how he'd gotten this far. This part of Iziz was the northern sailors' stomping ground, where they rested in harbor between voyages. She'd come to this pub salt gods knew how many times, and had to drag her original first mate, One-Eye, out of the aforementioned whorehouse. That must have been the nervous young man's destination and he'd gotten turned around at the last minute._

 _The young man scanned the pub and his gaze stopped on Dalla's table._

Oh great. The poor sod thinks I'm a whore _. She lamented._ Is he blind? No madam worth her salt would hire a whore with a broken face.

 _He ducked around a table of sailors and poked his way over to Dalla, glancing away so he wouldn't make eye contact when he stopped in front of her table._

 _"_ _Try to pay for me and I'll knock you into next week," she snapped. "The whorehouse is across the street."_

 _"_ _Are you Lady Dalla Blackwell?"_

 _The question caught her off guard. "I might be. Who's asking?"_

 _"_ _My name is Bernard Wallace. I was student to Sanjay Rash during the Clone War."_

 _Dalla froze._

 _"_ _Get out," she hissed. There wasn't any evidence of Sanjay having a protégé when she and Lux searched his quarters at the palace, and the last thing Dalla needed was someone running this particular scam on her. "Get out before I harpoon you. If you'd done any research for your scam at all you'd know he didn't have a student. He wanted me to provide him with one!"_

 _"_ _Not that kind of student!" Bernard held his hands out in surrender. "I was his art student. I only want to ask you something."_

 _"_ _I don't care if you want to ask me directions to the spaceport. Get out!"_

 _Bernard opened his mouth to say something but he was silenced by a sailor's hand coming down on his shoulder._

 _"_ _Is there a problem, m'lady?" Colin Kretash, loyal crewman on the Polaris, asked with a glare at Bernard._

 _Thank the salt gods for him. "No problem, Colin. Bernard here was just on his way out."_

 _"_ _Aye. I'll help him do that." Colin yanked Bernard's shoulder._

 _"_ _Paintings!" Bernard blurted. "His studio was full of paintings of his first wife; he even had me carve a statue of her for his gardens. He had two paintings of you, that he kept in a trunk in his room. One of them your back is to the canvas and the other one you look so, so sad. And he had a ship in a bottle that I helped him make, and two dresses in different sizes, and a box of things you might need."_

 _"_ _Leave her alone," Colin spat and gave him another shove._

 _"_ _Please my lady, I'm telling the truth. He had a crown for you. It was a gold circlet with a red stone, and he kept it in his nightstand."_

 _Dalla held up a hand. "Colin, stop."_

 _Colin blinked. "M'lady?"_

 _Dalla zeroed on Bernard. "Tell me how you know all this." The only person still alive who saw the inside of Rash's quarters besides Dalla herself was Lux, and he would never tell._

 _Bernard swallowed hard, still wary of Colin. "I was his art student. I made them."_

 _She pulled out one of the chairs at her table and fixed him with her most terrifying look._

 _"_ _You have five minutes."_

 _Bernard carefully extracted himself from Colin's grip and sat down._

 _"_ _How did you even find me?" Dalla demanded. "This is a big city, and I don't live here."_

 _"_ _I knew you would be in Iziz for the ball." Bernard fidgeted with his hands. "Most of the northerners come here when they're in Iziz. I didn't stalk you or anything; I just guessed ."_

 _"_ _Nevermind how, what about why?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "Is this about credits? If it is, you're out of luck." Another thought occurred to her. "And if you even think of following in his footsteps, I will -."_

 _"_ _It's not about either one of those things." His gaze dropped to the tabletop. "My last lesson with King -" he saw the look on Dalla's face and corrected himself. "Lord Rash was a few weeks before the rebels blew up the power generator. We made your ship in a bottle and he asked me for a favor when you arrived."_

 _"_ _And what favor was that?"_

 _"_ _That I would sit down and talk to you. That I would tell you how he really was, so you wouldn't be scared."_

 _"_ _How he really was?" Dalla repeated. "I think I know how he really was, seeing as he tried to force me to marry him. He was a monster, he chose to do awful things when there was no one telling him to."_

 _Bernard ignored her. "I met him when I was thirteen in a medcenter waiting room. He took care of me when no one else would or could. I started taking lessons with him and he taught me everything he knew about art. We would have long discussions about the old masters, and he helped me with my technique and to explore new mediums. He was always there to listen and to help when I needed." He smiled a little. "Everything I am today, I owe to him. He was … he was like a father to me."_

 _"_ _A father figure," she coughed out a harsh laugh. "He wanted to be more than that. That's all he wanted me for."_

 _"_ _He worried about you, my lady. He wanted you to be happy."_

 _Dalla gripped the edge of the table. "Did you see the execution? Tell me, did I look happy on those steps, kicking and screaming and choking on that necklace until I was blue in the face?"_

 _Bernard shook his head. "I saw it. The man on those steps holding you … I didn't recognize him. That wasn't my teacher."_

 _"_ _But it was! Have you thought that maybe it's you who didn't know his true colors?"_

 _"_ _He said you were going to be scared when you came to the palace but he didn't want you to be afraid of him. That's why he put so many soft blankets and pillows in his room, so that you could hold them and feel safe."_

 _Dalla had to take a second to digest that. "He thought pillows would make it better?"_

 _"_ _That wasn't very sound," Bernard admitted. "But he would never hurt you. He would have listened to you, and shared his knowledge. I know you're not an artist, but he said he would bring you to our lessons."_

 _"_ _I wouldn't have been his student. I would have been his wife. You know there's a difference."_

 _"_ _I do." He hung his head. "I didn't know what he was doing, and now that I know I don't approve."_

 _"_ _Then why are you here defending him to me?"_

 _"_ _So that you would understand why I'm asking this." Bernard cleared his throat and met her eyes. "Lady Blackwell, I need to know what happened when he died and where he's been laid to rest."_

 _Dalla straightened up. "The answers are on the holos. He..." she swallowed hard. "And then I killed him."_

 _"_ _Forgive me, but I don't think so."_

 _"_ _Excuse me?"_

 _"_ _Sanjay sent me a goodbye letter the day he died. He was defeated, he'd already given up and it wasn't in his nature to seek revenge. My lady, please. What really happened to him?"_

 _Dalla closed her eyes. It had been three years since she found Sanjay Rash on the palace floor, and she thought it was over now except for the occasional accusation of "kingslayer." Kingslayer she could deal with. Losing her suitors she could deal with. The truth, and what Sanjay said to her as he died, not so much. Not the day after the disaster of a ball, seeing Soniee in that dress..._

 _"_ _I want to pay my respects," Bernard begged. "He was all I had and I never even got to say goodbye."_

 _She didn't move and he forced down a sob. "Please, my lady. I only want to know what happened to him. I don't want him to b-be all alone, f-forgotten for all the good he did. I-I want him to know that I -" he sniffed. "I remember everything he did for me."_

 _Dalla's eyes snapped open. Sure enough, his drama was starting to call attention to their table._

 _"_ _Stop it," she whispered. "I can't tell you if people are staring."_

 _Bernard wiped his nose. "You will?"_

 _Dalla bit her lip. "When I found Rash in the palace, it was too late to take him to the medcenter. I helped him die with dignity."_

 _Bernard must have known that was all he was going to get on that front. "And what about his remains?"_

 _"_ _I knew where those were once. I'm not sure about now. They could be anywhere." That wasn't a lie, but it wasn't exactly the truth either. Dalla always had a way with exact wording._

 _Bernard nodded. "Thank you, for listening. And for telling me what you know."_

 _"_ _It's time for you to go." It wasn't a suggestion. Colin and some of the other patrons were starting to get antsy, and Dalla knew it was only a matter of time before the situation boiled over._

 _"_ _If you say so." Bernard must have noticed too. He stood up and cautiously reached over to her side of the table, not quite touching Dalla's hand._

 _"_ _Thank you, Lady Blackwell." And with that he turned from the table and left the pub, holding back his tears._

...

That was all so long ago though, and the only thing Bernard felt was the warmth one feels when they see their schoolyard loves grown up with families of their own. Bernard had one now, his wife and three-year-old son, and he wouldn't trade them for anything. From Dalla's smile in Kayla's painting, she wouldn't either.

 _I'm glad you're happy, Lady Blackwell. I hope we helped each other find some peace._

"They look happy. Especially the little girl." He kept flipping through the portfolio and jotting down his grades. "You've painted your whole family, it seems."

"Well my in-laws. Papa won't sit still long enough to pose, Talia's away at Harkon Hall, and Kora's not around much. Here," she gestured to another entry. "You've seen everyone else, but that's my mother-in-law with Jak."

Bernard's heart jumped into his throat.

The woman cradling Kayla's son — it was her, he knew it. He'd seen her face lining the walls of his mentor's studio, committed it to marble himself, for so many years he knew it almost as well as his own. This was Sanjay's first wife, the woman he'd loved and lost and never gotten over.

Bernard pressed a hand to his mouth. Before he knew about her, about the mysterious Shara, he'd asked Sanjay why all the women in his paintings were blond even when the models weren't.

 _"_ _Artistic license," Sanjay explained and put the finishing touches on his canvas with a flourish. "Let me see your work."_

 _Bernard turned the easel to show off his more realistic depiction of the model and then studied Sanjay's. "Sanjay, please don't take offense to this but … they all look like the same person."_

 _"_ _Yes, they do." Sanjay smiled sadly. "Because they're all of the same person. My muse."_

 _"_ _Muse?"_

 _"_ _You haven't met yours yet, but when you do you won't be able to get her image out of your mind. She slips into everything you do."_

 _"_ _And this woman, she's your muse? That's why you always paint her?"_

 _"_ _Yes son, that's why. Now let's look at your shading."_

 _And from there he would go over Bernard's canvas and help him see where he could improve; always guiding, never demeaning or patronizing. They always ended their lessons with a talk about the old masters, or about Bernard's studies and how much he'd grown._

Kayla's voice broke his reverie. "Is everything alright, professor?"

No matter what the holos said about him, Sanjay Rash - the real Sanjay, the one Bernard knew and not the one who tried to chop off people's heads and kidnap a girl for his bride - was a tremendous teacher. Bernard strived every day to honor the man's legacy with his own students, and he hoped that wherever he was, Sanjay was proud of what he'd done.

He dried his eyes. Teachers didn't burden students with their personal problems.

"It's beautiful, Kayla." He smiled. "A+."


	44. Fartrad’s Disease

**FARTRAD'S DISEASE**

"See, I told you everything was going to be alright," Kayla gushed and bent over the two side-by-side cradles.

Kora smiled and rolled over in the bed. "All things considered the delivery did go well."

Kayla rolled her eyes at her twin. "By 'well' you mean textbook perfect. And they're perfect too!" She scooped up newborn Miranda Blackwell and cuddled her. "Emoth agrees, right Em?"

"They are pretty cute." Emoth was busy with Miranda's brother, Marlon Hugo. "Where's Cade?"

"Off taking a page from Dendup's book getting them little leathers. He's dropping by the midwife's office on the way back to schedule the blood test for the twins."

"Test?" Kayla repeated. "They already did the heel stick and it came back fine. What could possibly be wrong with these sweet little angels?"

"Well Fartrad's for one. Cade's not a carrier. Thank the salt gods. But I am and you could be, Kay and that means we could pass on half a chance to any of our little ones. I'm surprised you haven't had Jak and Suza tested."

Kayla went pale. She had never even considered the idea. "Emoth you're not…"

Emoth startled and Kora took Marlon from his arms before he dropped the baby.

"I was tested when I was a baby but I don't remember the results."He stroked the beard he'd been cultivating. "Dad's a carrier. I never thought…"

The panic barely had time to set in before Kora spoke up: "Maybe it would be a good idea to get the whole family tested?"

"Aye, it would. Can Cade make the appointment for us when he makes the twins'?"

…

"Thank you for the thought Kayla, but we don't need the test." Lux said over the dinner table that night. "Dalla and I are both free of the Fartrad's gene."

"I guess you already know about Ros and Noah then," Kayla sighed. "That's the worst part, the not knowing."

Dalla seemed to choose her words carefully. "When you do know, you should be careful about who else does. A clean Fartrad's test can be just as dangerous as a positive one, especially for young girls."

"How so?" She'd spent the last few hours praying to all the gods of the galaxy that her children didn't have the cursed gene, and now Dalla was saying it was a bad thing?

"It can attract the wrong sort of attention from families with carrier sons," Dalla explained. "When Sanda Rash learned I wasn't a carrier, it all but sealed my fate in her eyes. And my parents didn't broadcast the results either. She stole my medical records."

Kora startled. Of all the disaster situations she'd conceived, medical record theft was a new one. "Aren't those encrypted?"

Lux rolled his eyes heavenward. "This guy in the rebellion, Hutch, was a computer whiz. The day Dalla arrived at base Steela asked him to do a quick surveillance hack to find out what the Rashes knew and to double-check that Dalla wasn't a spy."

"So a few minutes go by and Hutch calls me over asking my doctor's name. I gave it to him. And then he turned the screen so I could see and asked me if that was the date I had my last physical exam." She took a gulp of her wine. "Sanda's slicer had copied it and sent it to her. A clean bill of health and negative Fartrad's test, far as she was concerned I had already signed the betrothal contract."

"I'd never seen a human face turn that shade of red," Lux said. "Truly a sight to behold."

"Well did he delete the records?" Kora asked, clutching Miranda. "That's your private health information floating around in cyberspace!"

Dalla nodded. "He deleted everything he could, and I told Niamh after the war. She's installed a new security program."

"I could probably still crack it," Emoth said unhelpfully.

Kora called him a name in Onderonian that wasn't very polite and held her baby girl a little tighter.

Cade beamed at his daughter in the arms of his beautiful wife. "Well we won't have to worry about that for a while since this one won't be allowed to date till she's thirty."

Kayla sighed and rubbed her own big belly. "I believe what my husband meant is that he could look over the program and make sure that no one else could get into it."

"Of course that's what I meant." Emoth bent to give his own wife a kiss and grinned at her, trying to relieve some of the worry he knew she was barely able to contain.

She smiled back at him gratefully and then remembered, "Wasn't Ros's Godmother supposed to be a good hacker as well? Couldn't she help secure the records?"

Now it was Lux's turn to drink wine. "Um no, sorry."

Lately they'd been changing the subject whenever someone brought up Soniee and Korkie but Kayla was too worried to pick up on it.

"We can watch Jak and Suza when you go to receive the test results," Dalla offered.

Kayla exhaled. "Thank you."

…

Crammed into Niamh's tiny office Kayla and Emoth were glad Jak and Suza were back at the Hold with room to run around. Trying to keep them entertained in such a small space would be a nightmare.

"Do you think Lux listened when we told him not to give them too much sugar?" She asked.

"No chance. I'm pretty sure I heard him leading an ice cream charge." Emoth shook his head. "If Jak and Suza end up with cavities, we're sending him the bill."

Kayla chuckled but her heart wasn't in it.

"Maybe we can meet them at the parlor when this is over and get our own sweet treat?"

"Maybe." She craned around in her chair as best she could. "I hear footsteps. Dr. Niamh must be on her way."

She was indeed. Niamh entered the office with a file folder and a professional smile. "Kayla, Emoth, thank you for coming."

"You have the test results then?" Emoth settled in and took Kayla's hand.

"I do." Niamh sat behind her desk and opened the file folder. "Since you were tested as a baby we already know that you are a carrier of the Fartrad's gene. Kayla, the test has confirmed that you are as well."

Kayla clutched Emoth's hand.

"There's a twenty-five percent chance that two carriers of the Fartrad's gene will have a child with the disease, a twenty-five percent chance that the child will be free of the gene, and a fifty percent chance the child will be a carrier." Niamh explained and flipped the page. "Jak falls into the last category. His test shows that he too is a carrier."

"What about Suza and the baby?"

"Suza is completely free of the gene," Niamh began to smile again but it fell when she saw the minute panic on the parents' faces remembering Dalla's story. "I assure you, all test results are kept encrypted and since the … incident during the Clone War we've increased our security protocols."

"And the baby? He's fine too?" Emoth allowed himself to relax. This was good, they'd worried for nothing and would just have to be more careful in the future.

Niamh turned the page and took one more look at the test results before replying.

"The amniocentesis was positive for Fartrad's disease. We have no idea how bad a case it will be but he will be affected."

"What?"

"Isn't it fatal? Is he going to live?"

"What do we do?"

Niamh waited for the questions to stop before she spoke. "The best thing to do now is to secure resources so that you have a plan in place by the time he's born. And you will not find those resources in the North. I don't like to transfer unless I have to, but Iziz Regional is just about the only medcenter equipped to handle this."

"The symptoms don't appear for years and years, aye?" Kayla practically begged. "Surely we can have him here at home and not worry about transferring anything."

"That is an option," Niamh agreed but they could tell she wasn't sold on the idea. "It's true that many individuals aren't even aware that they have the disease until they reach adolescence."

Kayla looked up at her husband who in turn gave her a weak smile and a nod.

"However," their health care professional went on. "Knowing this now and being able to seek early intervention and further testing will improve his outcomes down the road and allow you to establish connections with the more advanced care team."

"So we need to go to Iziz. That's what you're saying?"

"I'm saying you need to take it under serious consideration."

Kayla and Emoth read between the lines as they stood up to go. "We'll start our research. Thank you Dr. Niamh."

"Hope you weren't expecting to see Jak and Suza right away," Dalla said brightly when they returned to the Hold. "Lux is out sugar-bombing them and Ros. I swear that man has no self-control when it comes to food. If Noah was old enough for ice cream he'd probably take him too."

Crickets. Dalla's brow wrinkled in confusion but before she could say anything Noah squealed victoriously. He'd dragged himself to the edge of his playmat and was attempting to stick a stray clod of dirt into his mouth.

She caught his little hand before the dirt got in his mouth and scooped him up. "Oh, what am I going to do with you? Maybe it would have been healthier if Daddy gave you all that ice cream."

Kayla's took in the sight of the mother and happy, healthy baby boy, and her face crumbled.

"It's not fair!" She sobbed and bolted from the room.

...

"So where do we go from here?" Kora asked after Kayla and Emoth tearfully recapped the whole story.

"Dr. Niamh suggested we go to the medcenter in Iziz," Emoth said dully. "I don't know. There has to be some kind of treatment closer home."

"Didn't Lady Adria have a sister who had the disease? Maybe she would be a good person to talk to." Kayla hiccupped.

Kora shook her head. "She's been ill and she doesn't seem to be getting any better."

"Besides, Adria's sister was much older and she left home when Adria was just a little girl," Shara said. "I think part of that reason was to seek proper treatment for her disease. I know you don't want to leave home but it seems like there's only one good option."

Kayla covered her face in a poor attempt to keep in the sobs.

"Well, Jak and Suza seem to like it down there," Emoth said. "And maybe you can take a class in person again, Kay."

"Maybe," Kayla said but it didn't sound like she believed it. "The medcenter is first. Only after that's taken care of can we worry about classes."

…

When Kayla and Emoth's little boy made his way into the world on his due date his parents had his name all picked out. Oron, after his father and for the legendary hero, and Steel in honor of the more recent hero, the friend of Lux and Dalla's who was so influential in their lives.

Also prepared were the medical team. With a home birth out of the question, the birthing center's most experienced nurses had been assigned to the case. There were standing orders from a pediatrician in Iziz, and two NICU nurses from Iziz were standing by in case the newborn needed to be airlifted.

But when her son was placed into her arms Kayla was sure all the worry was for nothing. "He's perfect! He's absolutely perfect!"

Emoth didn't respond. He couldn't through his happy tears.

But they came off their high when the medical team's words came back into focus.

"Apgar's 9," one of the nurses relayed to Iziz. "And FLACC is 7."

"FLACC?" Emoth repeated. He'd never heard the term before with his other children.

"It's the nonverbal pain scale," another nurse explained gingerly. "We've measured Oron's pain as a seven out of ten."

"Already?"

"It's a good thing we have the care team set up now so we can get started with his treatments as soon as possible."


	45. Remember Me That Way

**REMEMBER ME THAT WAY**

Still as the river grows in December

Silent and perfect blinding ice.

Spring keeps her promises;

No cold can keep her back.

I want you to remember me that way.

...

Shara had just settled herself on the park bench and made sure the shade was covering the stroller beside her when her comm chime rang. She smiled as she activated it and called out, "Jak, it's your Granddaddy. Would you like to say hello?"

Jamos Blackwell was greeted by the playful voices of not only his namesake but also Suza and Ryon as they went about their game.

" _Hello!_ " Jamos laughed a little sadly from his end of the connection. Shara knew he missed them all dreadfully.

They had been separated like this years ago when Shara had come south to keep an eye on Sawyer after Steela's death. She'd been fortunate enough, then, to meet Soniee and help her to learn the Onderonian runes so that she could translate her mother's journal.

" _How is everyone?_ " he asked. She knew he specifically meant the baby in the stroller beside her.

"Everyone is fine." She assured him. "Kayla has started her classes again and I offered to watch the little ones so Emoth and Kason and Ray could have the afternoon off. Kay suggested that I bring them to the sculpture garden here at the art academy to play and they're having a wonderful time."

" _And… Oron?_ " his voice quavered.

She smiled at the baby. "Right now he's chewing on his little fists and babbling at Jak and Suza and Ryon."

" _And the pain?_ "

"Only the teething seems to be bothering him today and even that's not so bad out in the fresh air and sunshine with his siblings and cousin. I think they've finally found the right balance of the medication. Maybe when the semester is over they'll be able to come home."

There was a sigh in his voice. " _I hope so. I miss you all._ "

"We miss you, too." Her own voice also shook with a bit of worry. "How's your brother?"

" _Marlon is… Marlon_." She could almost hear him roll his eyes. " _He's getting better at walking and feeding himself. Kora's still the only one who can really understand what he's trying to say. She's been an angel. Although she says it's a bit like having triplets with both Marlons and little Miranda._ "

"Speaking of Miranda," Shara changed the subject and he knew she was really referring to the baby girl's namesake. "How's Glover?"

" _We all knew Addie had been going down hill for a while now, so I don't think it was a big surprize._ "

"It was only a headcold to begin with," Shara agreed, "She just didn't have the will to continue after the girls during the war and then Maia taking off…"

" _Aye. Marlon wanted to sail over to the Hall for the funeral but Gretchen says he's still too unsteady. I think Glove might make the trip to the Hold for a while just to get away. It'll be good for both of them_."

"Give them my love and tell them I'm sorry we couldn't be there either."

Some of the humor returned to his voice then and she could picture his grin and the twinkle in his eyes. " _I offered to give Dalla the recipe for your fruitcake since that's usually what you would cook up in this sort of situation_."

"Don't you dare give that girl my recipe books! I don't want to be blamed for what she might slip into them." The words were said in jest but there was a measure of truth behind them.

" _Okay, I won't_ ," her husband promised. " _Take care of those babies for me and enjoy the sculpture garden. You didn't happen to see the one…_ " he inquired teasingly.

"My immortalized form in stone?" Shara rolled her eyes. "Aye, I've seen it. At least it's… decent."

Jamos chuckled. " _Quai tu liana, tre coi_."

"I love you, too. Sail in the light of the salt gods, and may they guide you safely home. Or us home as the case may be. Soon." She clicked off the comm device and returned her attention to her grandchildren and her surroundings.

It was then that she felt it, like the ruffling of feathers of a mollymauk's wing. It made sense to Shara that she should feel _his_ presence here in this place. After all the new art school had been built on the site of the burned down Rash estate. She believed that the sculpture garden might even occupy the same grounds that she had once cultivated when she lived there.

There had been happy times when Melaana would come from her own home in the jungle and have tea with she and Sanjay. Ommin sitting in the shade smiling at the young people over the edge of his news holo.

She began to hum an old song. She hadn't thought of that song in ages.

She sensed the presence sit down beside her and he spoke, "That's the song you sang to me."

Without even looking at him she said "Aye, I did. On our wedding night."

"No, not then. At my burial."

"You heard me."

Sanjay nodded. "I did and I finally understood why you never wanted to sing it. I would have been a terrible father."

Shara looked over at him. "No, you wouldn't. It just wasn't meant to be."

Sanjay gestured towards the children. "Not like this. You were clearly always meant to be surrounded by little ones."

She smiled.

"I pictured you like this. Perhaps that's why I was so determined to make it happen. I never considered it would be another man to give them to you."

"Sanjay…"

Sanjay shook his head and continued. "You never taught the song to your little ones. Dalla said she'd never heard it before."

Shara "No, after my father died, I couldn't…" It wasn't the whole reason and they both knew that.

"Maybe you can teach it to your grandchildren." Sanjay tried to make a positive. "Your boys have turned out to be great fathers themselves, haven't they?"

Shara nodded. "They have. Well, Kason and Emoth. The younger boys haven't yet married. Arkon is happily married to the sea for now and Cornel -"

"Watch me, Nana!" Jak climbed to the plinth of one of the garden's statues and prepared to jump off. It was less than half a meter high but it still gave her heart a lurch not to stop him.

"I'm watching, darling."

He landed on both feet with a grin of pride.

Suza, not to be outdone, found her own jumping platform that was much lower and lifted her skirt out of the way revealing her ruffled bloomers underneath. "Now me, Nana!"

"Be careful, my love."

The little girl's feet hit the ground followed swiftly by her ruffled behind and a cry of dismay was only barely avoided by her cousin Ryon holding out his pudgy green hand to help her up. "You ah-right?"

"Aye, fank you."

Sanjay's smile was evident in his tone, "They call you Nana."

"Aye," she sighed and then shrugged. "Seems like I'm the only one left."

"Hmm?" he inquired.

"We lost Suzelle and Lana and Mina and before that…"

"Melaana," he finished along with her. "She would have loved all of these babies."

"Aye, she would. And then just last month your Aunt Adria…" she studied him a moment, this visitor from the other side.

He thought he understood her unasked question. "Y-yes, I saw her. I wasn't close enough to speak to her but I saw Miranda put that little grandbaby into her arms."

Shara's eyes grew wide with shock. "Miranda had…" She knew Thias and the girl had gotten closer but surely it hadn't come to that.

"No!" Sanjay assured her. "It wasn't Miranda's. Elinor …" He didn't have to say anything further. Perhaps he caused the memory to flit into her mind, Adria going to comfort her older daughter during Ephraim and Talia's wedding reception. It was just after the net had been tossed and landed on…

"Sloan." Shara realized. "Ellie was going to have Sloan Murphy's child." The thought of Addie holding her grandchild reminded her of someone else.

"Your mother…"

"Would have been a terrible grandmother!" he huffed.

"Well, aye, but I understand her a bit better now." Shara reached over to the baby in the stroller and smoothed down the wisps of downy brown hair. "She was determined to never see one of her grandchildren have to go through this." It truly broke her heart to see the little boy suffer.

"Dalla's little ones call you Nana as well?" He asked to change the subject.

"Aye, I suppose they picked it up from Jak and Suza. They don't have any grandmothers of their own to fix the title to."

"How old was Dalla when her mother died, thirteen? Well, that might explain some of it." He mused and then shook his head. "But no, Bernard lost his mother at fourteen and he would never…"

"Who's Bernard? Is he someone you met after you…?"

"No, no he's very much alive. He's Kayla's professor and years ago, when he was a child…" He met her eyes and smiled. "He was my son."

"You had a son?"

He nodded. "Not legally, of course. His mother received treatments for Fartrad's at the same clinic mine did. I watched him in the waiting room, brought him lunch, let him stay with me if his mother was admitted, and taught him how to paint. He has so much talent. Watching him grow was the most rewarding experience of my life.

"After his mother died I wanted to officially adopt him. He practically lived with me at that point, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world. But when I tried to discuss it with my mother … she was less than receptive. I was afraid she would hurt Bernard if I tried to do it anyway."

"You were probably right. You had to protect him."

"I miss him more than anyone else," he pulled out a folded piece of what looked like flimsi, or whatever passed for flimsi for ghosts. "Would you like to see him?"

"I would love to."

Sanjay opened the flimsi and showed her a sketch of a young man, about eighteen years old, sitting in front of an easel.

"He seems like a wonderful young man. Is this a recent sketch?"

"No, I did it right before I…" he trailed off. "He's a year older than Dalla. I always thought they would be friends if given the chance. And they have! They met after the ball the year the Empire rose. Though I suppose they didn't keep in contact after."

"Dalla…" Shara sighed. "I'm not sure what to do with that girl nowadays. I know she's grown and she's not even my daughter but since Lana died and now with Marlon…"

"That's why I wanted them to be friends. They're both sorely lacking in that department. Bernard is terribly shy and Dalla, well, after what happened between her and my niece I can see why."

"Their spat over the comm? All friends fight."

"Last I checked, spats didn't include death threats."

"Death threats?!" Shara squawked. "What could they have been arguing about that includes death threats?"

"It began when Dalla tried to assassinate Saw Gerrera. She forged a letter from Sanya that she intended to poison, and Sanya found the letter. She confronted Dalla and the argument got out of control. Death threats from both sides."

"Salt gods," She made the sign. "She mentioned something about killing Sawyer but I never thought…"

"You and Sanya both."

"You've spoken to Sanya?"

He nodded. "She was the first one I visited, though I haven't spoken to her since the fight. I know she forgives a little easier than Dalla, and Sanya already regrets what she's done."

"You're saying Dalla doesn't?"

Sanjay snorted with laughter. "Not even a little! She believes her attempted murder was perfectly justified. I'm trying to decide if my mother would love her ruthlessness or hate her for using it to further her own cause."

Shara was aghast. "It's still _murder,_ Sanjay, whatever her reasons. And the fact she has no remorse at all is … disturbing."

"That's why I need your help. I haven't had the courage to appear to Dalla yet and I don't think she'll take advice from me. I need you to stop her. I need you to get her to talk to Sanya."

"She needs to be talked to, aye, but surely she and Sanya can work things out in their own time -."

He shook his head. "There's no time. I can't tell you exactly how or why, but this is a matter of life and death. You _have_ to get them working together again."

Every fiber of Shara's being screamed to ask him why, what he knew that he couldn't tell her, but she restrained herself. "I'll do my best."

"I'll speak to Sanya. Thank you."

…

"Dalla Niamh Blackwell Bonteri!" Shara burst through Blackhold's front door stopping only to set down her baggage from the trip north. She hadn't been in the mood to wait around at the space port for someone to pick her up and she had cemented in her mind exactly what she wanted to say on the walk over.

Everyone knew that Shara rarely yelled and if she used your full name you were in a particular brand of trouble. That's why Lana decided that it would not be the time to ask for whatever it was that her father had said no to an hour ago. In fact she completely forgot what it was that she had wanted to ask in the first place. "Dalla's in her office," she informed her mother and then tactfully got out of the way.

It was still odd for all of them to think of the "Lord's" office as belonging to Dalla, but she'd been born to this. That didn't mean she needed to resort to murder to assert her leadership.

Halfway there Lux tried to intercept her: "Shara, perhaps you and I should…"

"Out of my way, Lux!"

Lux moved but Shara wasn't foolish enough to assume he wouldn't try to warn Dalla. She arrived at Dalla's office without further interruption and threw open the heavy door.

Behind the desk Dalla nearly fell out of her chair. "Aunt Shara? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to discuss what _you_ did, young lady!"

"What I did? I haven't done anything."

Shara had to take a deep breath to keep from screaming. "Attempting to murder Sawyer and threatening to poison Soniee and Korkie is nothing?"

"How do you know about that?" Dalla rose from her seat with sudden suspicion. "Have you been spying on me?"

She couldn't very well tell her niece she'd gotten the information from Sanjay Rash's ghost. She fished for an idea: "Lana overheard the comm from outside."

"Lana!" Dalla muttered an oath in Onderonian. "How did she hear? I thought Lux soundproofed the door."

"You have much bigger things to worry about than Lana, Dalla Niamh!"

"Aunt Shara, what you have to understand…"

"What I have to understand? You might ask what I understand." Shara stood as immovable as the greatest of the northern salt formations. "I have tried to stay out of things, to let you take on your responsibilities without interference. Up till this point I would say you have done so admirably." She had to admit she had always been impressed the way her niece and goddaughter had stepped into those sea boots. "But I will not stand idly by while you… tear down the greatest friendship you have ever experienced not to mention the most powerful ally you could ask for in your planet's defense."

"And by doing so allow a dangerous enemy to continue taking innocent lives and opposing Lux's and my reign?"

"Saw is minor compared to what you're exposing yourself to. You're used to doing everything for yourself because you've been alone for years but that won't work anymore. Even with every poison in the galaxy you aren't enough to keep the Empire away from Onderon. You need to have help."

"I have Lux and he has me. We've been alone before; we're prepared to be alone the rest of our lives."

"You two can't be alone. You've read the history books Dalla, you know what happens when queens lose their ladies and you don't have any. If you have any interest in keeping your throne and your head then you need to mend fences with Soniee."

"And how would I do that if I wanted to?"

"It's not hard to figure out. You get on the comm just like you did when you fought, look her in the eye, and tell her you're sorry."

"I'm not. I won't do it."

"Oh, you'll do it," Shara said in a low, quiet voice. "You'll do it today, in fact. I know much has happened over the last few months and you're scared. You are allowed to be scared and you are allowed to be furious but you are _not_ allowed to become a despot who poisons everything she touches. I will not allow you to become the woman who nearly destroyed both our lives!"

Dalla's mouth snapped shut and she stared at her aunt in shock.

"I remember you then. Even though you were young and scared you knew you couldn't handle Sanjay alone and you made allies. You need to do the same now that the stakes are higher."

…

Soniee had always known the secureline would ring again. Perhaps it was her force abilities or just her own insight into Lux and Dalla's personalities and the nagging she'd received from Uncle Sanjay lately. However when the moment came she was surprised to find herself facing Dalla alone, with Lux nowhere in sight.

"Dalla."

 _"_ _Soniee."_

They stood in silence a moment longer.

"Lux isn't around?"

 _"_ _No he's with the kids. Is Korkie?"_

Soniee shook her head. "Even if I could I wouldn't dream of pulling him from his research."

 _"_ _Maybe it's better this way. They weren't really … involved."_

What was she supposed to say? Soniee elected not to say anything.

She knew it was the right choice when Dalla cleared her throat. _"Look, I'm not sorry for trying to kill Saw but I realize there were better ways to do it than taking advantage of your old feelings for each other. And I should never have taken my anger and my grief out on you."_

"Thank you," Soniee said first off and then quickly added, "I overreacted as well. I agree with you that Saw has… crossed a line and," she got that far away look in her eyes like she was seeing beyond the here and now. "I don't believe he's done, but he will get what's coming to him. You can be assured of that." Her voice took on a hard tone but Dalla would know now that the anger wasn't directed at her.

Dalla almost spoke up and said as much but Soniee raised a hand to stop her. "It wasn't so much that you used my name or my previous connection to Sawyer. I just didn't want you to have to live with his murder on your conscience. I have too many deaths on mine. I didn't want that… for my friend."

" _We can still be friends then?_ " Dalla asked hopefully.

"I can't think of anything I'd rather be."


	46. Anyone Else But You

**ANYONE ELSE BUT YOU**

Lux's comm rang in the middle of the night, Onderon time, and he barely even opened his eyes to pick it up and answer. "I don't want to know what time it is, so this had better be good."

It wasn't the nicest or most diplomatic greeting, but seconds after being woken up at an ungodly hour Lux wasn't the most diplomatic person. It might have been better if he'd had a little more sleep, but he and his wife had been up late after they put the kids to bed.

 _"_ _I know it's late where you are,"_ the caller apologized. _"I'd have waited for a better time but this was an emergency."_

Lux sat straight up in bed and turned on the comlink's visual feed. It seemed to take hours before the image came into focus.

"Ahsoka?!" He sputtered. "Ahsoka, is that really you? Where have you been? I haven't heard anything from you since the Purge!"

 _"_ _No one has,"_ Ahsoka looked terribly nervous, due to the comm or something else entirely. _"It was safer for everyone if I disappeared, and I would have stayed hidden if I wasn't in a lot of trouble."_

"What kind of trouble?"

 _"_ _I was doing a … job, and it went sideways."_ She didn't elaborate further on what kind of job or how it went sideways. _"I need to lie low for a while until things die down and I don't think anyone will look for me in the north. I just wanted to let you know so you wouldn't be startled if you see me at the spaceport."_

"I can do better than that."

 _"_ _Lux, I don't want to put you or your family in danger."_

"We'll just say you're Cybele and Rayala's cousin and no one will bat an eye." That would attract less attention than a Togruta by herself in the predominantly human north. "Ahsoka please, it's safer this way."

Ahsoka dithered for a second. _"Are you sure?"_

"Absolutely. You're safer at the Hold than anywhere else. How quickly can you get here?"

 _"_ _Give me forty-eight hours at the least, but I can make it longer."_

Dalla stirred next to him and mumbled "Lux, who are you talking to at Dxun o'clock in the morning?"

"You won't believe it." He pulled the duvet to cover her bare shoulders while she rolled onto her back, squinting at the hologram until her eyes focused.

"Am I still asleep, or is that Ahsoka?"

Ahsoka laughed. _"Morning, Dalla."_

"You...made it." She pushed herself into a sitting position, yanking the duvet as a cover. "How...how have you been?"

 _"_ _Busy. Though I'll be taking a little mandatory break."_

"How so?"

"Ahsoka thought she'd pay the north a visit while some of her…" he debated how to word it.

 _"_ _Occupational concerns."_

"Yes, her occupational concerns die down. I said we'd love to have her here for a while."

"You did?" Dalla tried to match Lux's smiling expression but hers came out a little forced. "When would you be arriving?"

 _"_ _Two, three days? It depends on how many twists and turns I'll have to make and I'd rather err on the side of caution."_

Lux handwaved the concern. "Just give us twenty-four hours notice. We can't wait!"

 _"_ _Thank you both,"_ Ahsoka looked over her shoulder and then back to her comlink. _"I should let you two get back to sleep. Goodnight."_

"Goodnight, Ahsoka." Dalla's smile lasted until the comm ended, then she raised an eyebrow and repeated "Occupational concerns?"

"What else could we expect from Ahsoka?" He lay back in bed, though there was no way he was going to fall back asleep after that comm. "I should have asked you before I invited her, but I didn't want to wake you."

"It's your holdfast too, you don't have to ask me to invite guests." She flopped down next to Lux. "And you seem so excited to see her."

"She does have a way with people. So, what do we have to do to get ready for her arrival?"

…

As expected, the entire rest of the family was thrilled about Ahsoka's impending arrival and when she commed them with her twenty-four hour notice Lux ran around in a whirlwind making preparations with his one-and-a-half-year-old "helper." Noah didn't do much more than burble and drool all over his bib and his father, but his smiles did more for morale than Lux thought possible.

"High five, Noah?" he asked holding out his palm and Noah mimicked the gesture with his own, slightly damp hand. "Good job! We'll have to show Mommy your new trick."

He tickled his son and the little boy giggled at the praise. "Dada!"

"Aye, I'm Dada and you're Noah. Can you say _No-ah?"_

Noah puckered his mouth like he was going to, but then made a face Lux knew all too well.

"Do you need a new diaper again?" He laid Noah down on the carpet to change his diaper when another little monster entered the room.

"Father!" Ros bopped into the guest room, her face and hands sticky from one of her juice box benders. "Mother's looking for you!"

"Tell her I'm busy with Noah right now and I'll be there in a second, okay Ros?"

"Uh-huh. Will you play Brylks with me when you're done? Jak an' Suza don't want to."

"I'll see if I can get away, but I'll definitely tuck you in when it's time for your nap." He matched Ros' expression; toddler smiles were infectious. "Until then why don't you ask Lana if she'll play with you?"

"Aye, Father." She zoomed over and kissed his cheek. "Promise you'll tuck me in?"

"I promise, sweetheart. Go tell Mother I'll be there in a second."

Ros raced out to deliver the message while Lux finished the diaper change and he ran into his wife in the nursery while washing his hands after the task was complete.

"There you are," He scooped Noah up. "Ros said you were looking for me."

"I was." Dalla looked terribly nervous about something but gestured to Noah. "How has everything been going with him?"

"Well we've been setting up for our guest," Lux bounced Noah in his arms. "I almost got him to say his name but not quite. Maybe he'll do it now that you're here. Noah, can you say _No-ah?"_

"Mama!"

Dalla laughed, but clearly her trepidation hadn't gone away. "I wanted to ask you a question, actually, that I'd rather not ask while looking straight at the baby."

"Sure." He lowered Noah to the nursery floor, handed him his favorite toy, and straightened up to give her his full attention. "What is it?"

"Did you keep your follow-up appointments with the medcenter?"

Lux furrowed his brow. "Follow-up appointments? For what?"

"Lux."

"For what, Dalla?"

"For your _procedure."_ she stage whispered.

Oh, that. He knew what she was talking about now. "That was a simple outpatient procedure. Why would I need a follow-up appointment if I didn't notice anything wrong."

She was still staring at him. "Did you not read the pamphlet the urologist gave you?"

"I was on pain meds!" Lux burst out. He took a second to gather himself: "Why do you ask? Did the medcenter call you or something?"

"No. I'm late."

"Late for what?"

"The other kind of late."

How did that kind of late have to do with his follow-up appointment? "Okay…" he said. "Well, we'll make an appointment with Niamh to see what's going on since the obvious explanation isn't a possibility anymore."

"Aye, it is." Dalla lowered herself into the rocking chair. "The pamphlet said that you have to go to the follow-up appointment to make sure the vasectomy worked. If it didn't, then..."

Lux realized what she was thinking and pressed a hand to his temple. "Oh gods."

"I thought maybe I counted wrong, but now it's been almost two weeks and..." The only reason she managed to keep herself together was on the floor, playing with his toys.

"Maybe it's nothing," Lux said thinly, attempting to convince himself more than her. That still did nothing to stop his imagination from running back to the moment Hugo Bralykburn commed him at the summit with orders to get to the midwife's. "Maybe it's just a fluke."

"Do you really believe that?"

He wished he did. "We'll make an emergency appointment with Niamh, find out for sure what's going on. I can ask Ahsoka to stay at the inn for a night."

Dalla shook her head. "That's too dangerous with all those sailors and travelers around. We don't have to go right away. If I am … well, I'll still be after she leaves."

Lux barely even heard her. He was still thinking about the last pregnancy and the trouble it was fraught with.

A tug on his trouser leg brought him back to reality. Noah grinned toothlessly at him and pulled himself up with Lux's leg. "Dada! Up!"

Lux halfheartedly obliged him and waited for the squirming child to settle a little before he handed the conversation's reins back to Dalla. "Then what do you want to do?"

"Pretend this isn't happening and enjoy the fact Ahsoka is somehow, miraculously not dead." She took a deep breath. "I'll get a home test before we go to Niamh."

That sounded like a plan. "If you want me to pick it up, consider it done. And I'll make that follow-up appointment too." Right now that concern seemed more pressing than ever.

...

"Is that her ship?" Ros bounced up and down on the spaceport's landing pad, pointing at the incoming freighter. "Mother, Father, is that her ship?"

"I think so, Ros." Lux didn't recognize the freighter but he hadn't expected to. "Are you excited to meet Auntie Cy and Auntie Ray's cousin?"

She nodded. "Why aren't they here?"

"They were busy so they asked us to say hello for them," Dalla answered and juggled Noah onto her other hip. "Remember Ros, what do we say when we meet Mother and Father's friends?"

Ros started to parrot off the instructions when the ship touched down and a cloaked Ahsoka Tano climbed out of the cockpit.

Lux grinned once she came within earshot. "Welcome to Blackhold. We're sorry your relations couldn't come to greet you, but we're a decent substitute."

"More than decent, Lord Bonteri." Ahsoka extended her hand to shake before she was clobbered in the more traditional northern hug.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you alive," he whispered into her montral.

"I'm glad to be that way too." She patted his back as a signal to release her and walked up to Dalla. "Lady Blackwell, this beats the last time we met,"

"Aye it does," Dalla angled her stance to place herself between Ahsoka and Lux. "A lot has changed since then."

"I can see," Ahsoka waved to Noah and then to Ros. "Hi there."

Ros stood silent as the salt gods' halls and Ahsoka momentarily gave her attention to the more accessible toddler. "Aren't you handsome! What's your name, little guy?"

"He's Noah," Ros ventured. "But he can't say it. He can say 'no' and 'uh,' but we can't get him to say it together."

Ahsoka smiled at the minute victory. "And what about you? What's your name?"

"Roisin Mina Bonteri." She sized up Ahsoka with a critical gaze she'd gotten from her lord father and deemed her fit for more words. "I'm four."

"Hello Roisin Mina Bonteri," Ahsoka knelt to the little girl's level. "I'm Ahsoka, and I'm your Aunt Cybele and Aunt Rayala's cousin. I knew your mother and father before they were married."

"Want to show our guest in, Ros?" Lux asked and she nodded and took Ahsoka's hand to do just that.

"What are we going to do, Father?"

"We're going to have dinner with Ms. Ahsoka," Dalla said. "And then we're going to get ready for bed so you can show her around in the morning."

"And while they're doing that, we'll go out to the pub," Lux added in a lower voice to Ahsoka. "Tandin will be there; he'll love to see you again. And there we can have our … conversation."

If looks could kill then Dalla's, trailing just a little behind them, would have lit Ahsoka ablaze.

...

"So you and Dalla Blackwell," Ahsoka mused at the bar and took a sip of her ale. "You know, I never would have expected it, but it works."

Lux raised his own glass for a toast. "As far as marriages of convenience go, I'm the luckiest man in the universe."

"Are you sure we shouldn't have brought her along?"

"No, she had some things to do with the fishing schedule." And she had. _Bye Dalla, see you in a few hours!_ Lux had called behind him and Dalla replied with a little wave from her office desk.

"She doesn't seem to be all in sorts."

"We - it's been stressful, lately. We're having problems with the Empire," he mumbled. "They've been throwing legislation and directives at me nonstop, and I'm trying to dodge them and do what's best for Onderon but I don't know how much longer I can do it. That's why I wanted you to stay with us, so you could help me figure out a solution."

Ahsoka wasn't convinced. "And the other thing?"

"What?"

"The bantha in the room that's hanging over your head, is clearly not about the Empire and is _definitely_ about Dalla?"

Kriff force sensitivity. You never had any secrets they couldn't find. Lux swore into his glass of ale, took a sip to steel his nerves and admitted: "Dalla might be pregnant."

"Lux, that's … congratulations!"

He shook his head. "That's not good news."

"Why not? I heard about your kids on the HoloNet, but the broadcasts don't hold a candle to them in person. They're so sweet! And you're great parents; any child would be blessed to have you."

Lux finished his drink, refilled it from a pitcher the other sailors in the pub were swift to pass him, and slammed that too. "When we were six months along with Noah, Dalla went into preterm labor. I found out when Hugo Bralykburn commed from the midwife's. I didn't know if she was going to live, or Noah - kriff Ahsoka, I'd never been so scared in my life! What if it happens again? What if something _worse_ happens? Every time I think about this, I think of Dalla and the baby dying a horrible death and I...I..." He stopped suddenly.

"You…" Ahsoka prompted.

"Sorry," he shook his head. "It's just...this song. It was the first dance at our wedding."

Ahsoka listened to the music a moment before she spoke. "So, you …"

"Excuse me, Tandin?" Lux held up his cup. "I-I need another drink."

Tandin made his way over with the pitcher. "Would you like me to water it a bit?"

"The sailors will all make fun of me," Lux accepted the refill.

Ahsoka cut in: "While you're here maybe we could get some food for him. Do you have any specials?"

"Aye, we do." Tandin's eyes flickered from Ahsoka to Lux. "The beer-battered fish."

"Dalla likes that." Lux's face fell. "It's her favorite."

Ahsoka handed Tandin a credit chit. "Give him something that'll absorb the alcohol."

Tandin gave a quick nod and made his way back to the kitchen.

"That was...weird." She didn't quite believe it was all a coincidence.

"Tell me about it." Lux waited for the plate of deep-fried potatoes to arrive and halfheartedly picked up one. "Gods, these things are going to give me heart disease but they're delicious."

He washed down the potato with more ale.

"How about we have food first and then more alcohol? In moderation, of course." Ahsoka tried to intervene. "We can ask Tandin for some soda."

"There's no soda. It's ale or an empty glass here."

 _Of course it is,_ Ahsoka grumbled internally. She tried to change the subject to something positive. "So how are your little ones? They're so big already."

"They're growing like weeds. I can't believe Ros is getting ready to read and Noah's going to say his name any day. It seems like just yesterday they were babies." He shook his head. "Though I suppose if we're having another…"

He was interrupted by a little hand reaching onto the table and snagging a fistful of potatoes from the plate.

"Look!" Ahsoka pointed to the hand, and the little girl it belonged to, in an effort to distract him. "Sweetie, these are our potatoes. If you wanted some all you have to do is ask."

"Potatoes?" A woman a few tables over looked from the man Ahsoka assumed was her husband and raced over to catch the little girl. "I'm so sorry! Dalla, you can't take from other people's tables."

"It's okay," Lux said, hands shaking.

Dalla's mom took her daughter back to their table while Lux took another gulp.

"This is crazy," he whispered. "Our wedding song, her favorite food, the little girl named Dalla…" He pointed to some guy across the pub. "And that guy looks _just like_ Sloan Murphy!"

The one-eyed man almost fell out of his chair at the name _Sloan Murphy_ but Ahsoka paid no attention to him. She fixed on Lux across the table, agape. "Wow. You don't get it."

"What don't I get?"

"I have never seen the force, or the gods, or whatever be so blatant about anything in my life."

He stared in befuddlement.

To be fair he was distressed. Ahsoka could cut him a little slack. "About you and Dalla."

More silence.

Looked like she was going to have to spell it out for him. "Lux, earlier you told me this was a marriage of convenience." She made him look her in the eye. "And it may have started out that way, but I don't think it is now."

With the assistance of Ahsoka and probably the alcohol as well, Lux had an epiphany. "Salt gods, I love her. I thought I was just us getting closer after we had the kids, but I really love her."

Ahsoka sighed with relief. _"Thank you."_

Lux swallowed hard. "I thought I was still in love with you from so long ago, but I'm over it. I'm really, truly over it. If I could pick anyone in the galaxy to marry I'd pick Dalla every time. "

"I'm proud of you," Ahsoka patted his shoulder. "You might have needed a little nudge -" _or a giant one_ "to realize it, but it was always there."

"Do you think she loves me too?"

"I know she does." Dalla's feelings could not have been clearer if she was wearing a sandwich board that said BACK OFF MY HUSBAND during every interaction with Ahsoka.

"She's my person," Lux whimpered. "She's my person and — Ahsoka, she can't die! I can't do this without her!"

"She will not die," Ahsoka announced. "You have a good midwife here, and lots of friends and family to keep an eye on things and…" Lux chugged another ale. "Lux, maybe you should slow down."

"I'm good, it's not that strong," Lux said as he filled his glass again.


	47. Anyone Else But You: Part Two

**ANYONE ELSE BUT YOU: PART TWO**

Hugo Bralykburn was seriously considering moving some clothes into one of the Hold's guest rooms, he visited often enough. He couldn't be parted from his dear daughters and grandkids for long, and the domestic chaos was a change from the silent Keep.

However, that didn't mean he expected the chaos as soon as Kayla let him in. Marlon was gesturing wildly at Jamos, who was attempting to guess what his brother was getting at.

"What in salt gods' halls is going on here?" He asked during a break in the back-and-forth.

Jamos shook his head. "Maybe you can fill in what I'm missing. Marl, what's wrong?"

Marlon gestured to his nose, which Jamos seemed to understand. "Dalla…"

Now Marlon held out his hand, wiggling his ring finger. "Dalla ring? Dalla hand?"

Hugo took a wild guess: "Dalla's husband?"

Marlon pointed at him and nodded before he attempted to say something accompanied by a series of gestures Hugo couldn't make sail nor stern of but ended with a stabbing motion and an enraged expression.

Jamos looked to Hugo helplessly. "Have you seen Kora?"

"She's putting the twins down for a nap. But if this is about Bonteri, Dalla probably knows something." He made a quick detour to the liquor cabinet and grabbed a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. "I'll be right back. Where's Dalla?"

It was easy enough to find her in her office with the door open a crack, and Hugo barged in knocking on the door with his elbow. "Evening, Lady Blackwell. I brought the refreshments."

"Hugo?" She set down the datapad she'd been working on. "Oh, no thank you. I don't want any."

"You, not want a drink? What are you, pregnant?"

Dalla's face crumbled and she made a horrible squeaking sound.

Hugo set the whiskey down so he wouldn't drop it. "Oh, gods."

"I feel like I'm in hell," Dalla wiped at her eyes. "This wasn't supposed to happen. We were supposed to not have to worry about this, but Lux didn't keep his kriffing follow-up appointment and I wasn't using any backups, so here I am, pretty sure I'm pregnant."

Hugo nodded to spur her along and go along she did. "You know what happened the last time I was pregnant. You were there! So I am flipping out right now. I can't talk to Aunt Shara or Kayla because they're full of happiness, I can't talk to my friend because I don't know where she is, I talked to my father but he can't talk back, and my husband…" She shook her head. "Right now, my husband is at the pub drinking with the great love of his life and I am totally alone."

Hugo was starting to get where Marlon's tirade came from. "Are you sure that's where he is?" He very carefully set a box of tissues in front of her in place of the whiskey.

Dalla took one and blew her nose. "They walked right past my office when they left. 'Bye Dalla, see you in a couple of hours.'"

That was pretty good confirmation. "And you talked to your father about this?"

"Aye."

Definitely the cause of Marlon's tirade. "Didn't that make you feel a little bit better?"

"Not really," She took another tissue. "He looked so upset after I told him, he started trying to get Uncle Jamos' attention and that's when I nuna'ed out and went back here to hide."

"He's calming down now." Or at least he would when Hugo popped out understanding why he was so upset. "You get yourself cleaned up and I'll take care of this, aye?"

Dalla nodded and Hugo left her with the tissue box before making a beeline to the living room and the Blackwell brothers.

He pointed at the still-agitated Marlon. "You want me to gut your no-good son-in-law with a harpoon?"

 _"_ _What?"_ Jamos cried.

Marlon nodded to Hugo and then pointed to a closet. Hugo opened it, rifled around and found what he was looking for: the harpoon.

Jamos was still talking: "Why are we going to harpoon Lux?"

"He's knocking 'em back at the pub with some whore from the good ol' days." He shoved a harpoon into Jamos' shocked hands. "Come on, Blackwhelp."

Jamos looked at the harpoon, then down the hallway where Hugo had come. "We should talk to Shara. Maybe there's another side to this story."

"Fine," Hugo sighed. "You can go talk to your wife while I fix this." With that he stalked out of the room, the door slamming behind him.

Jamos stared at the harpoon in his hand a second longer, and then thought what Hugo planned to with its partner.

"Shara!" he yelled, tearing through the Hold to locate his wife. "Shara, you've got to talk to Dalla! Lux is in trouble!"

…

Comms from Onderon were rare enough these days but when Soniee checked the console of the B-7 for the ID she was surprised to see that it was Dalla's personal line. She couldn't have been more glad that they had mended their friendship and had short cuts now to all the regular protections in place. She activated these and then activated the holo. The image that appeared before her above her control panel showed a woman who had obviously been crying and well why else would she have for this unexpected contact.

"Dalla, are the kids okay? Lux?"

 _"_ _Ros and Noah are fine. Lux is…"_ That one took her longer to answer. She abruptly changed the subject. _"No particular reason for the question, but how did you know you were in love with Korkie?"_

Soniee sat back in her pilot's seat and readied herself for a little story telling. "The first time I fell in love with him? We were sixteen." She saw Dalla also settling in to listen so she continued. "It was some sort of school holiday so all of our friends had gone home from the academy for a couple of weeks. We were good friends but nothing more. He talked about inviting me up to the palace to have tea with his aunt some day. Elek, it was still his aunt back then."

She smiled to herself. The duchess had always been so kind to her and the other cadets. Iko had once told her that Satine had meant for Soniee to use her wedding dress if she ever had need of it. She had.

"That was actually the week that he found out that she was his mother." Soniee remembered. That had been the catalyst for it all. "'Lek, I was supposed to go to tea but she had something she wanted to speak to him about alone. She told him that she was his mother and hinted about who his father might be. Then Korkie came to me so we could look up the old holos to see if we could find any proof. We did."

Dalla mused, _"He trusted you enough to share that vital information?"_

"He did. And that's when I knew that I could share with him about my abilities."

 _"_ _So that was it? You knew you could trust each other?"_ Dalla asked.

Soniee grinned, "Well it wasn't quite love yet. At the end of the holiday when all the other cadets came back, Lagos was going on and on about this hot date she had. And teasing me that Korkie and I had been alone all this time and hadn't done anything about it. She wondered if I was going to ask her who she was going out with. And I was like fine, 'who?' And she says, 'well you've had him to yourself for a fortnight and not taken advantage of the fact so I thought you wouldn't mind'."

 _"_ _She was going out with Korkie?"_ Dalla sat up. She hadn't heard this story before, at least not like this.

"She certainly made it sound that way." Soniee told her. "I felt like I was going to explode. I grabbed Amis and told him to meet me in the garage. I figured if she was going to go out and have a good time I might as well do the same."

Dalla's eyes grew wide. _"But you didn't have any sort of feelings for Amis, did you?"_

"He was a friend and, so far as I knew, Korkie was just a friend and likely to stay that way. So Amis and I went out where we thought we could be alone and he leaned close to kiss me…" She paused for effect. "And then Korkie comes in demanding that Amis get his hands off me and pulling him away. I was sure he was going to punch Amis in the face right then and there."

Another voice joined in the comm and Korkie came up behind his wife. "I would have done it too, if he hadn't gone off with Lagos. And if I hadn't gotten so busy with kissing you myself." He sat on the arm of Soniee's chair, put his arm around her, and kissed her cheek.

Soniee smiled up at him. "After that we were pretty much inseparable."

"Until you flew off to Coruscant." He agreed with a sigh.

She shoved him. "You know that wasn't my fault. I'm just glad you never punched Fox in the face for coming to bed with me."

Korkie glanced at the holo image of Dalla remembering that they weren't quite alone and then he might have put on a little more drama seeing as how they had an audience. "I did actually."

"You did? When?" Soniee asked him.

"It was…" he tried to remember. "Right after Veeka was born. You were on Onderon and I was getting all these visions of you with…" he didn't want to mention the name, "some guy." He raised his eyebrows as if asking her to deny it. "Well, Lagos and Fox had already figured out that you weren't dead and they were worried about me missing you and being jealous and all."

Soniee just stared at him. And so did Dalla over the comm connection.

"So Fox came right out and asked me if it would make me feel better to punch him in the face since I couldn't punch your new lover."

 _"_ _And did it?"_ Dalla asked before Soniee could protest that nothing ever really went that far between she and Saw.

"'Lek, it did a little." he nodded smugly and Soniee gave him a punch in the arm.

"Dalla?" Soniee asked on sudden inspiration. "There's not somebody you want to punch in the face right now, is there?"

Dalla looked like she knew she was caught. _"Maybe a little. But I won't. I know nothing actually happened between them. And… I think I know what I have to do."_

"Glad we could be of help." Korkie grinned.

Soniee swatted him again, "She commed for my help."

"And we are such a wonderful team that she got two for one."

Dalla laughed. _"Thank you both._ "

Before she could disconnect Soniee added, "Give Lux and those sweet babies our love."

 _"_ _I will."_ Dalla nodded. _"I most certainly will."_

...

Shara didn't know what she expected from her husband's claim of "Lux is in trouble," but it certainly wasn't that her nephew-in-law was in danger of being harpooned for going out to drink with his old friend.

"Dalla!" She shouted as she came up the hallway and into Dalla's office. "What's this your uncle tells me about Hugo going to harpoon Lux?"

"Harpoon?" Dalla repeated. "No one said anything about a harpoon. He just said he was going to take care of it."

"Take care of what?" Shara walked all the way into the office and noticed the tissues wadded up on her niece's desk. "Dalla, have you been crying?"

Dalla swept the tissues into the waste receptacle. "It's nothing."

"When Hugo Bralykburn is hunting down your husband, it is something. Why were you crying?"

Dalla gulped and whispered "I think I'm pregnant."

Shara could tell from the look on her niece's face that now was not the time to react with an outpouring of joy. "Have you taken a test?" Dalla shook her head. "Then how could you know?"

"Because it's just our luck," She sniffed once. "Everything with the Empire is getting worse and we're running out of ways to get rid of them, the fishing season isn't starting well, we can't figure out how to teach Ros her letters for the life of us, Lux found a spot on Noah's foot, and … salt gods Aunt Shara, we can't handle another one! Not with the Empire, not with the galaxy the way it is."

Shara sighed and nodded. "Aye, I know how that feels." She crossed over to her niece. "I was just like you."

"How?"

"When we were all down in Iziz after the rebellion, I had a breakdown," the older woman admitted. "After what happened with Sanjay, and you, and everything we had to worry about with the little ones, I couldn't handle it. I didn't want another baby. That's why your uncle went to the medcenter."

"Aye, but did he keep his follow-up appointment? That's why we're in trouble."

"I see."

"I'm so scared," Dalla breathed. "Lux is scared about me, and aye I am too, but that's not all of it. I'm worried about the baby. The Empire's breathing down our necks and it's harder and harder to get away. We're trying to keep the kids out of it but it's only a matter of time before those snakes go after them. I can't put another child in danger like that."

"Dalla," Shara wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I love my grandchildren, and my great nieces and nephews, but I always worry about the galaxy they're being born into. That's where Jamos comes in." She smiled. "I know that as long as he's around, we're all going to be fine. We can raise children who are strong, and can stand up to the injustices in the galaxy to make it into something better than we left them."

Dalla nodded again and Shara sensed that her niece's breakdown was coming to an end. "But that can't happen if your husband gets harpooned."

"You think he's really going to do it?"

"Have you known Hugo Bralykburn not to do exactly what he swears where harpoons are concerned?"

"Oh gods." Dalla grabbed her coat off her desk chair and started running. "I messed up. Oh, _gods!"_

…

Hugo all but kicked the pub door down when he arrived, and the establishment went dead silent for a galactic nanosecond before it exploded into sound yet again.

Hugo bellowed _"Bonteri!"_

At the bar Lux Bonteri let out a moaning, pitiful wail and buried his head in his hands. The coward couldn't even face his foe like a man.

The Togruta woman with Bonteri saw the harpoon and held out her hand like she could stop Hugo. "No!"

But all the sound was eclipsed by Grigori Tandin's roar of _"Lord Bralykburn, there will be no violence in my pub!"_

Hugo didn't want to pick a fight with Tandin so he tossed the harpoon aside. He could always pick it up later after he'd dragged Bonteri out of the pub.

The Togruta woman — Ahsoka, he remembered — relaxed marginally. "Lord Bralykburn…"

Hugo tuned her out. He didn't care what Bonteri's whore had to say, only that she was drinking with a married man. A married man who was about to become a dead man.

"Lux Bonteri, you mother kriffing —."

"Hugo!" Lux wept/slurred. He sat up a little more and that's when Hugo saw the empty bottles. "Hugo, will you come visit the Hold often? Maybe more often than usual? You know what to look for, when things go wrong with w-women and b-babies." He stammered and broke down completely. "I-I don't want my wife to die!"

Hugo caught the distraught man as he slumped off his barstool, sobbing that he loved his wife and she couldn't die.

Ahsoka patted his back. "Lux, nothing is going to happen to Dalla."

Hugo looked past him to the bar. "Bonteri, how many have you had?"

"Too many," Ahsoka sighed. "The sailors have been egging him on since he walked in and in his state, it didn't take much."

"Everythin' was fine the first time," Lux sniffed against Hugo's shirt. "But the nex' time it all went t'Dxun, and that's why we didn' want any more but now —."

Hugo shrugged him off. "Sit up straight."

Lux rocked back onto his barstool. "It's all m' kriffin' fault, too!"

"No, it is not," Hugo snapped. "Last I checked, it takes two to tango."

Ahsoka cleared her throat. "Lux is beating himself up because he forgot a doctor's appointment which could have led to this possible pregnancy. Which is just that, _possible."_

Lux reached for his half-full glass again but Tandin swiped it away. "No, Lux. You're cut off."

"B-but!"

 _"_ _No,"_ Ahsoka, Hugo, and Tandin all said in unison.

"We're going back to the Hold." Once again Hugo grabbed one of Lux's arms and allowed Ahsoka to take the other. "We are going to assure Dalla that you are _not_ cheating on her, and get you to bed."

Lux nodded his drunken agreement and they started to help him away when Dalla came through the pub doors looking like she'd sprinted the whole way. Seeing Hugo with her husband, she cried "Please don't hurt him!"

Lux lifted his head and looked at his wife like she was an angel from heaven.

Dalla didn't notice his drunkenness or anything else in the pub. She marched up her husband and took both his hands in hers when he opened his mouth to say something.

"Please don't say anything. Let me say this while I'm still brave enough." He nodded and she took a deep breath. "Okay, here it goes.

"I know Ahsoka's beautiful and amazing and I'm just me. But Lux, I love you. I love you in this big, nonsensical, embarrassing way that also makes me hate you. But whenever I start to feel like that, you smile your big stupid smile and it all goes away. You tell me I'm beautiful, and every time you mean it. You make me believe there's something good in this kriffed-up galaxy. And whenever I see you, my heart starts racing."

She lifted his hand to her chest to feel for himself, though it was probably unnecessary. He could have heard her heartbeat in the, for once in its history, dead silent pub.

"I love you," she repeated. "And I can't imagine a life without you and Ros and Noah so please, choose me. Choose to love -."

Lux clobbered her in a hug and almost knocked her off her feet with his impaired balance.

"I do! I love you. I can't do this without you, so you can't die." His voice broke the same moment his posture did and he buried his face in her shoulder.

Dalla raised an eyebrow to Hugo and Ahsoka. "Is he -?"

Ahsoka nodded. "Very."

She might have gotten an answer if Lux hadn't straightened up right then. The Bonteris gazed at each other for a standard second before they fell into each other's arms, kissing.

The pub went wild and the applause and cheers only increased when they separated and Lux moaned/slurred: _"Please don't die!"_

"Salt gods," Some sailor across the pub exclaimed. "It's like watching a soap!"

Ahsoka heard it. "Okay, this ends now. Lux, you're going to go back home with Hugo. He's going to get you some food and some caf to help sober you up. Dalla, you are coming with me to the drugstore. Let's go!"

…

"You took charge of that." Hugo gave Ahsoka a nod of respect.

"I'm doing my best Steela Gerrera impression," she admitted, leaning on the wall against the refresher door. "Do you think it's working?"

"I've never seen Lux or Dalla go along with something that quickly before." He shrugged. His few interactions with Steela had been enough to confirm Ahsoka's impression was pretty spot-on. "So aye, I think it is."

Dalla opened the 'fresher door and meekly deposited a plastoid pregnancy test onto Ahsoka's outstretched palm before she sat down beside Lux.

"Okay," Ahsoka said and faced the couple square on. "Both of you are going to use the sense the good force gave you and never do this again. Lux, after you sober up tomorrow you are going to go to the midwife's and get your follow-up appointment to put both your minds at ease. And Dalla…" she looked down at the pregnancy test. "You are going to stop crying and pull yourself together. Because no, you are not pregnant."

Dalla half collapsed. "Thank the salt gods."

"She's not pregnant?" Lux repeated. "She's not going to die?"

"No, Lux, I am not going to die."

"Thank _gods!"_ Lux hugged his wife with a surprising amount of strength for someone who couldn't walk in a straight line. "I'm so relieved. I don't know what I'd do if -."

"Alright, let's cut the sappiness," Hugo interrupted. "Bonteri, get yourself in bed and sleep off that ale while Dalla does whatever women do when they find out they're not floating along."

"Thank you," Dalla grinned, hugging her husband back. "I'll take care of him from here."

Ahsoka laughed. "I'll help. He can be a handful to move."

"I can walk," Lux protested, not taking his eyes off Dalla.

Ahsoka snorted. "Right. Eyes on the road, Lux. It's time for you to turn in."

…

"He really loves you, you know. It wasn't just the alcohol." Ahsoka whispered to Dalla after they'd put Lux to bed.

"Aye, I know. You'd have to love me to eat my cooking." The smile fell from Dalla's face. "I don't know why I thought you and Lux … he loved you too, long before he loved me. He scoured the galaxy trying to find you.."

"I'm glad he didn't." Not only did that protect Ahsoka, but seeing the life he had now she wouldn't have it any other way. Lux's family was his whole world.

"You're always welcome on Onderon, Ahsoka." Dalla squeezed her hand and Ahsoka felt the wedding ring bump against her hand. "We're having problems with the Empire, aye, but if you want to have a quiet life it doesn't get much quieter than some of these islands."

"Thank you," Ahsoka looked once more at Lux, snoring on the bed. "But I can't. There are things I need to do, and I can't do them here."

Dalla nodded. "You don't seem the type to stay out of a fight for long."

"That I am not," Ahsoka sighed, remembering what Lux had said to her so long ago after the rescue from the steps of the palace. "You...may the force be with your family, Dalla."

The other woman nodded reverently. "May the force be with you, too."

…

"When did you know you loved me?" Lux asked, his more sober voice carrying through the darkness.

"It wasn't one big moment. I was sure after Ros was born," Dalla rolled over in bed. "But when we had sex for the first time you never stopped asking if I was okay, and you meant it. That was when I knew I could love you."

"On our wedding night five years ago, and you didn't say anything until today?"

"You didn't either!" She beaned him with a pillow. "And what about you? Did you just figure it out today?"

"Soniee and Ahsoka both said I'm an idiot when it comes to love," he shrugged.

"And that coming from the raised to be celibate former Jedi knight and the woman who was estranged from her husband for 10 years."

"I did love you though, I just didn't know. I thought that was how it was with all husbands and wives."

"Well you can add your wife to the list of people who think you're an idiot when it comes to love."

"Good thing she loves me." Lux closed the distance between them and kissed her.

"We haven't gotten the all-clear yet," Dalla protested and gently pushed him away. "And I'm not about to risk it after we've just dodged that bullet."

"We've got to celebrate today. And we don't have to actually…"

She grinned. "I like the way you think."

But before what Lux had thought could be put into practice there was the patter of feet and a quavering little voice called out _"Mother? My belly…"_

Dalla closed her eyes. "We shouldn't have let her eat so much cake."

Lux rolled away from her with a sigh. "Aren't children the most effective form of birth control?"

"Oh, it could be so much worse."

"How so?"

"You could have three."


	48. Model Behavior

**MODEL BEHAVIOR**

"I found him." Lana carried her little nephew into the room and set him down by his mother's desk.

"Oron Steel Bralykburn, where have you been hiding?" Kayla chided him. "I was about to call out the Marines."

The little boy climbed up onto her lap. "Wanna go fishin' with Grandaddy," he pouted.

"Oh sweetheart, Granddaddy and Uncle Arkon are out at sea right now. You know that." She hugged him close.

"I gonna take my own chip out and catch 'em! An' I catch the biggest fish in the whole sea an' Granddaddy be soooooo proud of me!"

"Granddaddy is proud of you." Kayla grinned up at her sister-in-law and then back at her son. "Especially when you obey Momma and go to bed on time along with your brother and sister."

He scowled. "Aww, Momma. I don' wanna go to bed." Of course he didn't, on one of his good days, when he'd been feeling so well, but if he didn't get his rest he'd be in bed all day tomorrow.

"I know you don't, but come along."

Lana watched as Kayla gathered up her son tickling him and prepared to carry him from the room. Before she could leave Lana quickly took her chance. "Kay do you mind if I look up something really quickly on your holo notebook?"

"No. Go ahead."

Lana waited until they had completely exited the room and then quickly sat in the chair, navigated away from whatever it was Kayla had been working on and entered the password to her own net link.

Kayla didn't have to know that Lana had been grounded from accessing the net on her own devices. She was only checking her regular searches and social sites to see if anyone had posted anything interesting.

They hadn't. Lana made a face. It wasn't the season for new episodes of any of the holos she liked to view. It seemed she had risked the probability of getting in trouble again for nothing.

She was on the point of looking something up for school just because it had been so long since she'd had access to the net, but what was the point. She logged out and reopened Kayla's project. It was her sister-in-law's art school page.

Momma and Dad had been big supporters of Kayla's art since they had seen a few of the pieces she had done of the grandbabies. They had even helped to pay for she and Emoth to stay down in Iziz for a couple of semesters so that Kayla could benefit from actual one on one instruction at the art school there. She had come back knowing all sorts of new techniques.

Then Oron had been born and they had spent another season down in Iziz getting his testing and early treatment at the medcenter, Kayla had been able to take a second semester at the art school just to get her mind off things and have a creative outlet. Once they had exhausted the medcenter's knowledge however, it was too much to take physical classes and care for three little ones. So Kayla and Emoth had moved back up to the Hold where there were lots of hands on deck to chase down the little monsters. And, Lana laughingly had told her, if she needed models there were plenty here to work from.

Lana loved hearing the story of how her grandmother Hadassa had posed for an artist in her Grandpa Kason's tent during the summer fete and Grandpa had fallen in love with her and kicked out the artist because he didn't want anyone else to have an image of her beauty.

Lana was not a great beauty. She was skinny and tall like her brothers and at sixteen she still had yet to fill out. Most of the crews joked that she was just another one of that gang of Captain Jamos's boys. She was not at all like her best friend Nessa whose parents owned the pub. Nessa had gotten curves early and she always had sailors falling all over themselves for her.

Someday, Lana thought, some great artist would see her and be so amazed by her beauty that he would fall in love with her image and never be able to bring himself to paint anything but her. She sighed and would have left to daydream in her own room. Maybe she would read for a while. When she noticed what the page was that Kayla had open. It appeared to be a kind of wanted column.

" _Artist is searching for older male human model for sculpture project_." said one listing.

Another asked for, " _Pantoran and twi'lek models needed for color study_."

Lana scanned down the list until her gaze fell on something interesting. " _Female model wanted for figure painting study. Finished works will be exhibited in local gallery and model will be compensated for time spent_."

Compensated? Lana had always wanted to be a model but to be a professional, to be paid for her… work. That would really be something. She jotted down the identification information. She couldn't contact the artist from here. She'd have to wait until she had access to her own devices again, and she'd just have to hope that by then the offer would still be available.

Kayla sighed as she re-entered the room. "I don't know what I'm going to do with that boy."

Lana hopped up out of the chair. "Did you get him to sleep?"

"Finally. And did you get done with what you needed here?"

"I did." Lana nodded. "Thanks."

"No problem." Kayla smiled. "Kora and I were grounded from the net a few times when I was your age. I would be a hypocrite if I didn't help out a sister in need."

When Kayla was Lana's age she got pregnant with Jak and married to Lana's brother Emoth. Lana was not going to go down that path. She'd be more careful. When she found a boy who thought of her as more than the Blackwell boys' baby sister, that is.

…

Her heart was hammering as she picked up the commlink and dialed in the ID. She took a deep breath. Surely the artist had already found someone to fill the bill. Either that or he'd take one look at her and laugh.

She sat up trying to thrust forward the small amount of chest that she did have and pasted on her most adult expression. They said it was mother's not-to-be-disobeyed northern woman expression and Lana could nail it when she wanted to. Then she activated the comm.

It took a few chimes but finally a young man materialized from the other end, from Iziz presumably. "Can I help you?" He looked her over with an artist eye but he didn't laugh.

"My name is Lana… Flint." There were a million of them around. That shouldn't give away that her cousin was the Lady of the North, her cousin-in-law was the crown prince, her father was Admiral of the northern fleet or the fact that she had four protective older brothers. "A week ago I came across a wanted listing for a model at this identification code? I was wondering if the position was still open."

"It… is actually." He perked up as if interested.

"Really?" she asked, face breaking into a smile. Lana forced her expression back into a more neutral frown. "I'd like to apply for the job."

"How old are you, Lana Flint?" He asked, skeptically, but there was a teasing glint in his eye, even in the holo.

"Seventeen." She would be in a few months… eight months. If she'd said she was any older he would know for sure that she was lying.

…

Lana skidded in through the front door of the pub and looked around. It was one of the regulars who jerked a thumb, knowing who she would be searching for, and said, "Nessa's in the kitchen."

"Thanks!" She acknowledged as she hurried on her way, bursting through the kitchen door and doing a quick scan for parentals before she shared the news with her best friend. "He's here! He just arrived on a planet hopper which is probably good because if he came north on any of the family's ships, he would have surely said something that would have tipped the crew off why he was coming up the river. Still it's not like a ton of visitors arrive this time of year in the space dock so I hope it wasn't suspicious enough that they'll start asking questions. He'll probably stay here. It's the best inn in the Hold. You don't think your parents will start asking questions? Of course there have been artists that have come up to the Hold before. Maybe they'll think Kayla invited him or told him it was a good spot to work. Maybe I should have talked to her first to she if she would cover for me. She did let me use her comm unit a few weeks ago. She knows what it's like…"

"Slow down!" Nessa put down what she was doing and crossed the room, placing her hands on the younger girl's shoulders, ending her tirade and forcing Lana to take a breath. "This is the artist you said you would pose for? You saw him come off the planet hopper?"

"Aye." Lana nodded. "I recognized him from the comm. I knew he would be coming soon but…" She waved her hands in a panic. "Do you think I should have gone right up and introduced myself? Salt gods, he'll probably be here any minute! Do I look alright? Maybe I should wait until he comms to tell me he's made it." She fished her personal comm unit out of her pocket with a shaking hand and checked it to see if she had missed any messages. "He hasn't commed yet. So maybe he's waiting till he gets settled."

There was a sound from the outer room of someone arriving in the main door and Lana's eyes widened. Both girls ran for the kitchen door and peeked out into the dining room. A young man entered, walked up to the registration desk, and rang the bell for service.

"I should go see to that." Nessa opened the door a little further but Lana pulled her back and the door swung shut again.

"No wait! Should I go introduce myself now or should I wait until he contacts me? Maybe I should arrange for us to meet somewhere else."

Before she could answer a voice called, "Nessa! Where is that girl?" and they both peaked out again to see Maris Tandin bustling toward the desk to help the newcomer. Her irritation only lasted for a moment before the pub owner switched into perfect hostess mode.

Nessa growled, "I was supposed to be watching the desk but the _Wave Saber_ crew is on shore leave and half of them don't know how to keep their hands to themselves."

Lana had never had that problem but she sighed. "I'll cover for you, but when are you free? I'd kind of like somebody else to be there when I pose for him the first time."

"After the supper rush?" Nessa guessed. "And thank you. You're a lifesaver."

"Wish me luck!" Lana grinned before she burst out of the kitchen door. "Did you need something, Aunt Maris? Nessa's busy starting the supper prep." She watched for the recognition to appear on the artist's face and she wasn't disappointed.

He smiled at her and gave her a little nod.

Maris didn't look up to see the exchange. "Aye, Lana. Could you show our guest up to room three?"

"It would be my pleasure. Welcome to Blackhold. If you'll just follow me, Mr…"

"It's just Chuck and thank you, Miss?"

She lead him a few steps away toward his room and out of Maris's earshot before she answered. "Flint, Lana Flint. But then, you knew that."

"Yes, I did. Thought I'd have more trouble tracking you down." He had a rucksack thrown over his shoulder and was lugging a heavier bag as well. It clunked as he walked and she assumed it must contain an easel or some other gear for his artistic pursuits.

"I sometimes help my Aunt Maris and Uncle Grigori out around the pub." That was technically true. "It is the best one in town."

"Then I am…" He grunted as he set his bag down next to the door where she had lead him. "Doubly fortunate to have found it."

She clenched her hands together nervously and smiled. "Well, this is it, number three."

"I can see that." He smirked.

Lana rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. "She gave you the code and I guess you'll want to settle in and rest a bit before we get started?"

"Yeah, that would be good."

She stepped out of his way so he could enter the code into panel by the door. "Would you mind terribly if I brought along a friend for our first session or two?"

The locking mechanism clicked and the door swung inward. "I thought you said you'd modeled before?" He looked at her as if he could read the whole truth from her blushing cheeks.

"Aye! Of course I have! It's just that I don't know you. You can't expect me to just…" her eyes widened as he took a step closer to her and he gave her an almost predatory grin before the look softened again into an unmistakably teasing smile.

"That's fine. Whatever makes you comfortable till we get to know each other a little better."

"Good. Thank you." she replied breathily, swinging her arms by her sides. "In the morning then?"

"Bright and early, don't want to waste the light." He picked up his bag to carry into the room.

"I'll be here." She promised.

…

She got away from the Hold as soon as she could the next morning and raced to the pub. "Nessa!" she called and two heads turned to look in her direction. Nessa was standing by the table with a flimzy order pad and stylus in her hands and in the chair before her was Chuck the artist.

"Lana." He shot her a smile and Nessa nodded, much less upbeat.

Well, Lana could cure that. She marched across the dining room and looped her arm through her best friend's. "I'm so glad the two of you have already met. Chuck, my cousin Nessa is who I wanted to join us for our first session!"

"That would be fine with me if Miss Nessa is agreeable."

Nessa pulled her younger 'cousin' a little closer, protectively. "Aye. I don't know about posing for pictures but somebody should be there to… watchover."

"Oh thank you!" Lana squealed. "When can you get away?" She asked Nessa and without waiting for an answer turned to Chuck. "And what do you need, props, lighting? There's a beautiful spot on the rocks down by the shore! And we could bring some flowers from the greenhouse. Nessa loves flowers. Don't you, Ness. And we could bring a picnic lunch."

…

The first couple of sessions with Nessa attending were spent mostly with her so-called friend trying to cover up any possibly exposed bit of Lana's skin. Nessa sat rigidly straight holding flowers or umbrella or whatever other prop Chuck suggested with nary a smile. Lana herself was much more willing to drop the shoulder of her blouse and stand dramatically for the artist. He had to be as glad as she was when Nessa went back up to take her shift at the pub and they were finally left alone.

They were getting along great. So great in fact that she went back to his room with him after a particularly successful day of sketching on the beach. She was only planning on helping him carry in his canvases and easel but then he mentioned how he liked the way the brylk oil lanterns picked up the highlights in her honey colored hair. He asked her to stay. He had food brought up and a bottle of wine. He posed her in a chair with a colorful scarf tied about her chest as a covering.

"Beautiful!" he said and he smiled as he captured the exact shade of pink that blossomed in her cheeks.

"I want to see." Lana rose, a little unsteady to her feet with her third or fourth glass of wine clutched in her hand. She had lost count. She crossed the room to where he sat behind the easel and fell accidentally/on purpose into his lap. His arms went around her and she felt warm and comfortable and happy.

He nodded at the canvas. "What do you think?"

She smiled. "Is that really me?"

"The incomparable Lana Flint." He drew her closer and kissed her.

Some part of her brain, that could still form cohesive thought, wondered if he could tell that it was her first real kiss. She giggled, probably making that more obvious, and turned her head to look at the painting. "Can you paint me like a dalgo rider?" She asked.

Chuck smirked at her and arranged her hair to frame her face. "Have you ever even seen a dalgo?"

"I have." She nodded. "We used to have one when we lived in Iziz for a while when I was little! My mother and grandfather were professional riders!"

He tickled her sides and she squirmed on his lap. "I never would have guessed you had the blood of a beast rider way up here in the frozen north." His lips went to her throat.

She gasped with the pleasure of it and stuttered. "I… I have a… a confession."

"Hmm?" the syllable vibrated against her collarbone.

Lana's eyelids fluttered closed. "I'm not really a Flint."

"Is that so?"

With another quick intake of breath she admitted, "My name's Lana Blackwell."

Chuck looked her in the eyes and cycled through a whole range of emotions, from confusion and worry to outright disbelief and back to his general humor. He gave her a nod, something like a mock bow. "My Lady." Then he went back to kissing her, his hands working at the knot of the scarf that was tied around her chest. He worked it free leaving her bare to his gaze and his touch.

"There's something else!" she said in a rush pushing him back just a bit.

"What is it?" he asked a little impatiently.

He had to know and she had to be sure she was ready for this. "I'm not quite seventeen. I will be in a few months." She hurried to add.

Chuck was motionless. He didn't say anything for a full galactic standard minute, thinking. Then he said, "Lana, go and sit on the bed."

Her eyes widened. She stood. She could excuse herself, leave now and just got home.

But he cracked a smile. "Don't you trust me?"

She bit her lip and nodded and went to do as he asked.

He didn't follow her there. He picked up the scarf and tossed it to her. She had to reach out to clutch it out of the air. "Why don't you use this to tie up your hair?"

While she did that and made herself comfortable sitting on the bed, Chuck readied a new canvas. "Just one more sketch tonight of the lovely Lana Blackwell?"

"I won't be able to stay as late tomorrow." Lana relaxed as relief washed over her. "I promised I'd babysit my little cousins but I would like to see how this turns out."

…

Date night was wonderful, and didn't have to come to an end when husband and wife returned home that night. Lux and Dalla had no sooner paid Lana and waved her out the door than Lux's hands went to his wife's waist.

"Do you even remember the last time we had a night alone?" He kissed her deeply.

Dalla broke the kiss sooner than he would have liked. "I have to go check on the kids."

"They're asleep. They're fine." He leaned in again.

Dalla pulled away, laughing. "I still have to check on them."

"Right now?"

"Just one last kiss!" She set off down the hallway.

 _"_ _I_ want one last kiss." He trudged after her with melodramatic, mock frustration. Dalla had already made it to Ros's bedroom door and was standing in the doorway. She must be looking in at their daughter.

Even if it was his second-choice activity Lux was happy to join her gazing at their children while they slept peacefully.

He wasn't expecting to find Ros and Noah wide awake, staring at a very graphic holo of a young woman.

Ros noticed they had company first and looked up like a shaak in the headlights. "Hi, Mother and Dad."

Lux looked to Dalla for what to say but she was still staring ahead uselessly. Sith spit, what was he supposed to say?

"Hey there Ros," he said. "What are you looking at?"

"Holo," Just like that the six-year-old's attention went back to the offending image.

"Oh, okay." He had to pretend it wasn't a big deal, so he didn't make it even more interesting. "Where'd you find it?"

"I didn't," Ros shrugged. "Noah found it on the ground."

"She gots no clothes on," Noah piped up.

"So it's one of those paintings," Dalla finally found words. "A lot of artists paint ladies with no clothes on. It's very common."

"Really?" Ros didn't sound so convinced.

"Really. Can your father and I take a look?"

The kids looked at each other and then Noah scooped up the disc and handed it to Dalla.

"Thank you." She managed to keep calm until Noah was tucked into his own bed and the door safely shut but once that was done she raised an eyebrow at him and held up the disc.

"Don't look at me!" He threw up his hands. "I don't buy paintings, much less ones like that."

"Well neither does anyone else here. At least the adults anyway. Maybe Kayla was looking at it for art school and she left it over here? But Kayla hasn't been in our wing for a while…"

Lux grabbed the holo, looked at it again and groaned.

"Oh Dxun, not this again."

"What?"

He was sure now. "Look closely. Doesn't this look a lot like Lana? And Noah would have had plenty of chances to raid her bag while she was babysitting."

Dalla examined the holo and understanding crossed her face.

Lux sighed. "Aye, I thought so."

…

"Kayla!" Lana found her sister-in-law the next morning at the center of the chaos that was snacktime. "Can I ask you a question for a friend?"

"Aye, sure." Kayla didn't even look at her in favor of ensuring all the little plates had the exact same size and number and crackers to prevent toddler fights.

"This friend of mine," Lana began hesitantly. "She has a boyfriend who she really loves and he loves her too."

Kayla answered distractedly. "Oh that's sweet."

"They want to get married someday but he has to go away… on a voyage!" she added hoping that would make the story more convincing.

"I know how difficult that can be." Kalya stepped back from the plates giving them a last look over and then gave her sister-in-law her full attention.

"Well," Lana continued. "They want to… show how much they love each other, before he has to go, but they want to be careful." She rushed on to the point. "Would it be possible for m-her to get the hypo? I mean if she's not quite 17."

Kayla smiled compassionately. "You know my sister Kora got the hypo before her seventeenth birthday. She knew she and Cade weren't quite ready to be parents yet."

"And… She didn't have to get your Papa's permission?"

"No. I think I was the only person she told, other than Cade of course. She went to the midwife at the Keep and had an exam to make sure that she was healthy and got the proper dosage… The over the counter options are never quite as reliable. You should tell your friend that."

"I will." Lana nodded.

Kayla patted the younger girl's shoulder. "She's lucky to have a friend like you looking out for her."

Lana was already on her way out but she called back over her shoulder, "Thank you!"

Before Kayla had the chance to pick up the snack tray someone else swooped down the hall and demanded her attention. She almost thought It was Lana again with more questions but instead it was Dalla.

"I was just about to bring the littles their snack," Kayla informed her.

But Dalla barred her path. "There's something I need to show you first."

…

The other professors told Dr. Bernard Wallace that he was crazy for giving his students his personal comm number. They'd bother him at all hours with their unending questions. Bernard didn't care. When he was a student his mentor had opened his home to Bernard, and that was no small feat when the home in question was the royal palace. It made him feel so special that Sanjay Rash would drop everything to help him grow, he felt for the first time that he was really going somewhere with his art. The least Bernard could give the universe in return was a comm number.

When the unit went off and he didn't recognize the number he didn't waste a second before picking up. Just like he expected it was a student, and a familiar one at that. "Kayla? It's been so long since we've spoken. How are you doing?"

 _"_ _Oh, I'm fine. The kids and Emoth are doing great."_ Kayla Bralykburn wrung her hands and cut to the chase. _"Professor, I know it's not your office hours but we have a problem up at the Hold and I think you can help. Do you still have your open-door policy?"_

"Of course I do. What is it?" Office hours or no, Bernard would always have time for a student, especially Kayla Bralykburn. The talent she showed was beyond her years, and she was the daughter-in-law of Sanjay's muse. He'd always had a bit of a soft spot.

 _"_ _Do you have a student named Chuck?"_

"For now." Bernard rolled his eyes. "He's missed an entire week of class. You know that doesn't bode well for his staying in. Why do you ask? Wait, how do you know he's in my class?"

 _"_ _He's at the Hold working on his portfolio in the worst way possible!"_ Kayla sniffed back the tears she was occasionally prone to. _"He posted an ad for a model and he got my...my…"_ She lost her battle with the tears and bawled.

"Kayla…" This had happened in class before, when Kayla was pregnant with her little boy and she dropped a bottle of paint onto her shoes. Bernard had no clue how to sort it out over the comm.

 _"_ _You taught us never to paint a child unless the parents were there. I don't know what possessed him to...and then he…"_

Now he was starting to get worried. "What did he do?!"

Kayla took a deep breath to compose herself when someone else spoke. _"Kayla, did your professor pick… oh no. Let me get you a tissue."_

No kriffing way. Bernard didn't believe it until the second woman entered the holofield with a tissue box. "Dalla?"

Dalla's head whipped around and she placed him in a second. _"Bernard?"_

 _"_ _You two know each other?"_ Kayla asked, wiping the tears from her face.

"We met a long time ago," Bernard explained. Deciding Dalla was a better or at least calmer source he directed the questioning to her. "Is something going on with my student Chuck?"

To this Dalla rolled her eyes heavenward and Kayla collected herself enough to respond. _"He painted my sister-in-law!"_

Bernard didn't see how that warranted this kind of reaction. "Okay…"

 _"_ _Nude,"_ Dalla clarified.

Kayla sniffed. _"She's sixteen."_

Rage and panic seized Bernard. "Did he -?" If he'd distributed those images, the next time Chuck walked into Bernard's class would be the last.

Dalla shook her head and simultaneously saved Chuck's life and his art career. _"He didn't sell the paintings. We wouldn't have even known if he hadn't given one to Lana and left it in plain view for my four-year-old to find."_

Chuck's career swung into danger territory again on the grounds that Bernard had a six-year-old and wouldn't ever want Sandor to see something like that.

 _"_ _It's not just that, Professor. Now he's stringing her along saying he's in love with her …"_

 _"_ _Which he is not."_

 _"_ _-And that he'll come back for her."_

"Which he will not." Bernard knew how this game was played.

 _"_ _He's not like Emoth. He's just going to use her and leave her heartbroken or worse. I don't know what to do; Dalla had a few ideas but they all involved harpoons or poison."_

 _"_ _We'd like to avoid that if at all possible."_ Dalla's expression left no room for doubt that she would whip out the harpoon gun if need be.

"No need." Bernard was planning his chat with good ol' Chuck. "I'll take care of it. Thank you for bringing this to my attention."

 _"_ _Thank you for helping us out with this."_ Kayla threw away her tissue. _"We owe you one."_

Dalla smiled at him. _"So you're a teacher now?"_

"When I'm not chasing down my son, yes. It seems I've come full circle."

 _"_ _You're really good."_ Kayla grinned. _"You're the best teacher I've ever had."_

Bernard's heart melted.

"Thank you, Kayla. Now let me take care of Chuck so next time we speak, it's about art."

...

 _"_ _Chuck, would you like to explain the comm I received from the Lady of the North?"_

Chuck sighed. Out of everyone in the galaxy he thought Dr. Wallace would understand his predicament. Really, the Bonteris had overreacted. He'd given Lana one of his paintings, so what? Maybe they should have taught their kid not to snoop. "Professor, this was a misunderstanding. The little boy —."

 _"_ _I'm not talking about the boy, Chuck. I'm talking about why the painting exists in the first place!"_

"The painting? It's the capstone assignment for class."

 _"_ _The assignment was to arrange for a model and paint them in a variety of poses. There was nothing in the syllabus about exploiting and deceiving a young girl!"_

"What? I didn't exploit anyone."

 _"_ _You painted a sixteen-year-old girl nude. Not only is it unethical, it's illegal. Not to mention that you've apparently become involved with this girl?"_

"It's just a fling," Chuck explained. "It was her idea; I don't even like her that much."

 _"_ _All the more reason for you to leave her alone."_ Bernard glared at Chuck. _"I thought you had more sense than this."_

"But you said in class that you do your best work when you paint your muse!"

 _"_ _I did. I didn't mean that you could paint a nude, underage model without permission from her parents. Especially a Blackwell!"_

"So what if she's a Blackwell? What about the painting you showed us from when you were a student, that looks just like Lady Blackwell? Does your wife know about that?"

Bernard's glare intensified.

 _"_ _Yes she does. It's a very old painting, as it was done when I was a_ student _and now I'm your_ teacher."

Chuck started to get the feeling he'd made a terrible mistake. "Look. When I arrived I had no idea she was a Blackwell. And I swear she told me she was 17 so I didn't see anything wrong with it. We got started with the project and we were having some fun. We never slept together! After a while she fessed up, told me who she was and how old and… I really just did it for her. She has some… self-esteem issues. I wasn't going to sell or even present any of the sketches I did of her uncovered. Even if I didn't have feelings for her, I just wanted her to… know how beautiful she is."

 _"_ _That's … better."_ Bernard rubbed his temples. Not for the first time, he wondered how in the universe Sanjay dealt with him when he was young and stupid. _"But you still missed an entire week of class and continued to create the images even when you knew how old she was. If you are not in my classroom tomorrow morning, you're out of my class. No exceptions. You will leave the paintings where they are."_

"Can I at least take the first paintings I did, of Lana and her friend? There's nothing wrong with those, they're both fully clothed."

 _"_ _No."_

Chuck didn't push it. "Fine. There's someone I want to say goodbye to and then I'll be on the planethopper headed south."

... 

He had hardly ended the transmission with his teacher when the comm unit buzzed again. This time it was Lana. " _Do you have to leave tomorrow?_ "

What could he tell her? "Unfortunately I do, the gallery calls. But I'll comm every day to tell you how much everyone loves you."

" _Only the ones we talked about, right?_ " She asked. " _None of the ones which are ... you know._ "

She was a pretty little thing. He chuckled, "Only what beauty you're comfortable sharing with the rest of the galaxy. You'll be a smash! I'm sure everyone will clamor to know who the mysterious beauty is." 

Lana smiled. " _And I will be able to see you before you go, aye?_ "

He shouldn't. He knew that but he hated to hurt her feelings. "Er… yeah… sure. If you can make it by the inn before my planet hopper comes."

" _I-I will!_ " She promised excitedly.

…

Lana checked the chrono on her wrist for the fiftieth time since she and Nessa had begun harvesting produce in the greenhouse. While they worked she went on and on, "He says I'm beautiful. He calls me his muse and he'd never push me into anything I wasn't ready for. But he has to leave soon."

Again she glanced at the chrono and then looked up at her silent friend and confessed, "so I got the hypo so we can be together before he has to leave and then when he's done with the show he'll come back and…"

"The hypo?" Nessa repeated with trepidation.

But at that moment Lana's comm chimed and her eyes lit up with excitement until she looked at the ID and accompanying text message. "It's my mom. She wants me to come right home." She looked around at their meager harvest. "You can handle the rest of this, aye? Maybe if I hurry I can still make it back to his room before…"

Lana was already up and on her way out of the greenhouse before she heard her friend's response of, "aye, sure."

"The hypo?" Nessa inquired again to the empty greenhouse as she gathered the vegetables that her mother had requested to the pub's menu this evening.

She shook her head. They barely knew each other! And Nessa had had a bad feeling about Chuck from that first morning she'd taken his order for breakfast before any of the posing or painting had begun.

Lana seemed to think they were serious enough to… but Nessa wondered what Chuck really thought. Well, she was going to find out and set him straight about a few things.

She dumped the crate of vegetables on the bar not bothering to bring them back to the kitchen and marched up the stairs to room number three. Then after a moment's hesitation and a deep breath, she knocked on the door.

He swung the door open with a defensive expression that instantly warmed to a smile when he saw who had arrived. "Miss Nessa, I hoped I might run into you again before I took off for Iziz."

Chuck stepped back as if to welcome her into the room but she wouldn't progress any further than the threshold. "Oh did you?"

It seemed she had interrupted his packing. Good. At least that meant he was intent on leaving. Nessa would be glad to see the last of him, if it wasn't for Lana's feelings…

"Well, Yes." He crossed to a stack of canvases that didn't seem to be going into his traveling bags and rummaged through some of the more recent works to those that he finished earlier in his visit to the Hold. He held up one of them so she could see her own image painted next to that of her best friend, and then turned to see her blush. "I thought you and I were getting along rather well. It would have been a shame if I didn't get to say goodbye."

She was flustered. She knew that look. "I didn't come here to talk about myself. It's Lana."

He set down the painting with a sigh. "You know she and I never…"

"She got the hypo!" Nessa burst out but quietly so that no one who chanced to be walking by in the hallway behind her might overhear.

Chuck froze for a second and then recovered quickly. "Good for her. I had hoped the modeling experience would give her a little more self confidence."

How could she make him understand that Lana was on her way here maybe even right now to… give herself to him? Still cautious of eavesdroppers she took another step into the room and closed the door behind her. Big mistake.

He was at her side in a flash. "Look, Lana's sweet. She's a good kid but you…" Chuck's eyes traveled over her, lingering on her rounded bousum, and then returned to her face with a gleam. "You could come back with me." He reached out to sweep a lock of hair behind her ear. "You're old enough to make up your own mind and there's nothing keeping you here."

She swatted his hand away. "You think I would do that to her? Lana's my best friend!"

"She'll get over…" He didn't finish whatever he had been about to say because at that precise moment her fist connected squarely with his nose. "Ow! Osik!"

Nessa rubbed at her knuckles. If she'd bruised them it was well worth it. "Finish packing and get out! You're no longer welcome in this establishment!"

…

"Nessa Sharaline Tandin! You knew about this? You participated in this?"

"I never took my clothes off, Papa, I swear!" She didn't know how her step-father had heard about the modeling or her involvement but she was still trembling from the adrenaline rush of confronting the bastard.

"But you went along with it!" He bellowed. "Lux said Noah found a holo! Kayla's worried she unintentionally advised her sister-in-law to go out and get some sort of contraceptive! And this… pornographer has been staying under our roof the entire time?" He paused for a breath. "You are grounded young lady, for a month!"

She didn't care about the punishment. She sighed resignedly "I know, Papa. That's why I'm getting rid of him."

There was a clatter on the stairs as Chuck bustled out of the room with his heavy bags. If he was hoping to get away without being seen he was out of luck. He hadn't had the chance to wipe away the blood that was smeared across his face from her punch.

She rubbed her knuckles again when they briefly made eye contact before he slunk out of the building without a further word.

The gesture did not go unnoticed by the former general. "You hit him?"

Nessa nodded.

"That's my girl."


	49. Maia’s Fate

**MAIA'S FATE**

It seemed they would never have a palace. Not the one in Sundari that he had wanted to bring her home to when they were young or the one in Iziz that should have been her birthright. But this old B-7 freighter had become all the palace that either Soniee or Korkie needed. They had spent their wedding night in the little cabin and she remembered a fantasy she had once had about the two of them just flying around the galaxy alone together.

After a long and bumpy road they had finally come back here, she realized, and she wouldn't have it any other way. All she wanted was to lie here in his arms, here in their berth and forget that the rest of the galaxy existed. And then as usual when she had just gotten comfortable, the Galaxy called. This time it actually used the comm.

"Aww, let it go to the message system," Korkie purred in her ear.

She was inclined to agree. "It could be Dalla telling us they changed their mind and they're going to give us another godchild."

"While I'm sure that would be terribly interesting, there are other issues that I find much more pressing at the moment."

She gasped and chuckled with pleasure and decided to let him have his way. "I was just glad when she commed before that it wasn't because Ros was sick or Noah had gotten hurt."

"Mmmhmm," he agreed wordlessly. He was still thinking about what she had said about Dalla and Lux having another child. He didn't have to say it aloud.

"No, you're right, after the scare with Noah they decided that he would be their last." They both remembered too well the pain of losing their little Oron, all the heartbreak and years of healing that followed for both of them.

Korkie left off his lovemaking and just held her. "What would you think about us having another one?" He seemed to be reading her thoughts, or maybe she was projecting them, or maybe they had been together so long that she was just that easy for him to read.

"The dreams that I had before Oron, I've never had anything like that since. I think maybe that if we did, that this one would be okay." She rolled over on the tiny bunk and looked at him intently.

He swept her hair out of her face with one hand. "But you're worried about what sort of world we would be bringing another child into."

She nodded and then tucked her head against his chest. "Losing our child… it was horrible, but everything we've seen with my work as Fulcrum, it could be so much worse."

He tipped her chin up to look at him again. "Soniee, we can't let the bad things keep us from reaching for the good. And who knows if our child might not be one of those who helps make this galaxy a better place."

"Well it's not going to happen tonight." She smiled at him. "That hypo I took is still good for a while longer."

"Let's not let that go to waste, then," he growled.

…

After another enjoyable hour together and then a shower, Soniee was getting redressed when she noticed the message light on the comm system. She pulled it up distractedly while checking the other power and navigation systems. As soon as the message began however, it had her full attention. It was one of her rebel agents in the field.

" _I need to speak to Fulcrum! There's been… Goddess it's awful! An attack on a ceremony where a new Imperial governor was being honored." The agent tried to get all the pertinent information out. "They used flechette launchers… hundreds dead, just bystanders most of them." He took a breath. "You said you wanted to know immediately if anything happened to the girl from Saw's group. Well, they were involved and… Maia Harkon didn't come back_."

It didn't require any further thought. Soniee immediately dropped into the pilot seat and began to reprogram the nav computer's destination. She had just finished the calculations and had placed her hand on the control that would launch them into hyperspace when her husband entered the cockpit. She forgot to warn him. The acceleration of the engines knocked him back off his feet.

"Whoa! What the kriff!" He clambered up to stand rubbing a bruised region of his shebs but laughing. "Sudden change in plans?"

"I'm sorry." Her breath caught in her throat and at the same time they both realized that she was crying. "Elek, I… We need to go to Onderon." She had been so focused on getting them where they needed to go that the tears had come without her even noticing.

"Is it your Father?" Korkie hurried to her side and knelt next to her seat. He turned it to face him and took both her hands in his. "Shara? The Blackwells?"

"No." She shook her head and closed her eyes letting the tears flood over her cheeks. Something happening to any of those people, their friends, their family, would have a devastating blow. But after just having discussed losing their own child, and the prospect of possibly trying for another…

A little girl. Soniee blinked at the sudden sense of inspiration. She wanted a baby girl.

"What is it then?" Korkie asked as calmly as he could. He had witnessed her having visions before. He had seen her fall into a deep trance that nothing seemed to wake her from. This wasn't like that. This was something different but he knew something bad was about to happen, or else it already had. "Cyar'ika?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him steadily. "It was that comm, the one we let go to the message system. The Harkon girl who joined Saw's band of partizans, she was killed in action."

"Lux's goddaughter?" Korkie covered his mouth with his hand and stroked it down his beard. Soniee knew he was thinking of their own goddaughter, of the ceremony that had taken place at the pool of the salt formation at Blackhold. Neither of them knew all the ins and outs of the religion but they knew how important it was to the people of the north sea and they knew the words that were traditionally said at a time like this. "In the light of the salt gods."

Soniee quietly repeated the phrase touched her thumb to her lips as she had often seen Aunt Shara do and raised her palm outward in reverence. "I couldn't let her parents and her brother and her sister find out about this from a holo. I thought we should go there and tell them."

"Of course," Korkie agreed. "Pantora can wait."

Their next mission was supposed to be to the system of Orto Plutonia. They meant to meet with her old friend Chi'ann Kree about a safe place for Myat and some of the other workers at the Iziz refugee center to be relocated to themselves if things got too hot in the capital city for their continued presence on Onderon.

Bail Organa had also given Soniee the go ahead to reveal her identity and continued existence to the Chairman of that moon, Baron Notluiski Papanoida. They had met once years ago on Coruscant. He had given her season tickets to the productions of the Royal Bards Company. Possibly most importantly he had had a relationship with her mother before Soniee was born and had always had a soft spot for the Princess of Onderon as he'd called her. Perhaps with his connections the rebellion might have another powerful ally.

And then there were Korkie's investigations to consider also. They knew that there were ice caves on the frozen planet around which the moon revolved. It was possible that some of these caves possessed growths of crystals like the famed caves of Ilum that had already been mined and devastated by the Empire.

Korkie still wore his purified crystal on a cord around his neck just as Soniee wore the one that had called to her from the cave on Concord Dawn. He couldn't feel its warmth or see it glow like she could hers when the Force swirled around her with particular strength. He might not be able to locate a site on his own. If they visited the place together, however, he felt certain that Soniee might be able to prove or disprove the existence of a kyber deposit.

All of that, though important to their shared cause, paled in comparison to delivering this heartbreaking news first hand to the family of a girl who had died in the service of that same cause.

Was it though? Soniee wondered as they zoomed through the silence of hyperspace. The inaction of the journey made her more jittery than usual. She generally found the quiet relaxing, a pleasant change from the press of minds in a populated area, but now with only the worry in her own head and running through her husband's she felt trapped.

Soniee paced from the corridor from the cockpit to the galley and back again several times like an anxious nexu in a cage. Finally Korkie, whether because it was driving him crazy or just because he hated seeing her like this, took her by the shoulders and pulled her into a hug.

"Cyar'ika," he soothed. "I know this isn't the kind of news you want to deliver. I can do the talking if you like. I have… passed on this sort of information before."

He had been the one to tell everyone that she was dead after Oron's stillborn delivery and he was undeniably the best orator of the two of them. She was the writer, the researcher but he was the one who gave the words power and emotion when spoken aloud.

She wanted to let him do it. She could even sit down now and put her thoughts on flimsy. It would give her something to do for the next several hours of the journey. But, no. She knew she couldn't.

"No, I should be the one." She shook herself out of his embrace. "Saw and I… He wanted me to be out there saving the galaxy with him. Instead he starts…" she flailed her arms, "recruiting children?"

Again she paced. "I should have gone after him as soon as I found out what had happened and demand that he send that girl home to her family! I could have forced him to do it! That little girl had no business…" She covered her mouth remembering the mention of flechette launchers from the agent's comm. "She should have been home with her family fishing or sailing or I don't know! She should never have been out there participating in one of Saw Gerrera's kriffing mad schemes!"

Soniee broke down weeping under the weight of all her anger and frustration and sadness. Korkie gathered her in his arms and lowered them both to the plasticrete floor tiles. He rocked her back and forth and brushed her hair back from her face and whispered softly, "Kuur, Cyar'ika. It wasn't your fault. She was young, elek, but she wanted to be out there doing her part, fighting the Empire. She believed she was protecting her planet and her family and making the galaxy a better place."

She knew that was true and allowed his comforting words to wash over her.

"I know how you feel wanting to blame yourself but you can't live like that and naming names doesn't help either. I seem to remember a few headstrong fifteen year olds who rushed heedlessly into danger to save their duchess."

Soniee reached up and touched his neck where Prime Minister Almec had ordered a shock collar to be bound to force the duchess to sign a false confession of guilt. "Were we really that young?" She sniffed.

"Ad'ike in the nursery." He brushed a tear from her cheek with his thumb.

"We saved her though, that time anyway. Eventually it got to be too much for us to handle on our own."

"Even then we had help from Ahsoka." he reminded her.

"But we all did our part and we wanted to be there to help save your mother and the rest of Mandalore." At least that's what it had seemed like at the time, and maybe that's what they had done.

"Except maybe Amis," Korkie frowned. "I think he just went along with us because he was hungry."

Soniee laughed at the memory of their friend and then sobered but still with a smile. "He was the bravest of us all for admitting his fear and going along with us anyway."

"Elek." Korkie hugged his wife with a chuckle of his own. "And after all this time that's still the way we remember him and he lives on in our hearts and our memories and Manda! In Tracen!"

They sat that way for a long time talking about friends and events from days gone by. They were sore from all that time sitting on the hard floor when the command console in the cockpit finally announced that they were near the point of reentering real space in the Onderon system.

"When did we get so old?" Korkie complained as he got up and stretched while Soniee went to do the final bit of piloting to their destination.

"Speak for yourself. I'm still spry as a dalgo." She taunted.

He sat next to her in the co-pilot's chair with a grin. "It's a good thing too. This galaxy isn't through with you yet and neither am I."

She gave him a sidelong glance before she returned the lever to its setting for sublight speed. Then she saw what was waiting for them outside the viewport and cursed, "Osik!"

An Imperial star destroyer hovered above Iziz and she checked quickly that their clearance codes were in order just before it noticed them and sent a hail. Korkie stayed quiet and watched her do her magic.

" _B-7 freighter, what is your business in this sector?_ " It wasn't the biggest in the fleet and thankfully there was only the one, probably just out patrolling, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

She wanted to ask what their business was being here but instead she put on her best idiot freighter captain voice and responded. "Beg yur pardon but we were just supposed to head down to…" she paused as if checking a manifest order. "Harkon Hall? To pick up a load of fish. It's a stinky job but somebody's gotta do it." She laughed and rolled her eyes at Korkie.

There was that moment of silence from the imperials that always turned her stomach and she wondered if she would have to reach out with the Force to persuade this shabur to let them pass.

But then the word came back. " _B-7 freighter you can go about your business._ "

Soniee couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief as she began their descent toward the northern hemisphere of the planet.

Korkie reached over and placed his hand over hers on the control panel to give it a squeeze.

"Lux wasn't kidding when he reported the increased Imperial presence."

"No, he was not." It didn't only worry Soniee. It made her angry. This was her planet, her people! Even though Lux would act as the regent when Ramsis Dendup finally lived out his faithful years of service, and she'd officially named Roisin as her successor when their goddaughter came of age, Soniee still felt responsible for it.

That tram of thought reminded her of the premonition she'd had earlier. A little girl, a daughter for she and Korkie, with possibly a different path than inheriting the thrones of Mandalore or Onderon?

She couldn't think about that now. There was still the ugly task ahead of her to inform another family of their daughter's fate.

…

When they opened the door to Ephraim's office Soniee and Korkie were greeted by a wall of sound.

"...do you expect me to do?" A man in an ostentatious embroidered coat gestured wildly. "I told you last time my crew doesn't know anything about spaceships."

"You deal with black market traders all the time," Ephraim insisted. "One of them has to have a link we can use to get to the partisans."

"I'm not about to burn Ohnaka. That's suicide."

"You wouldn't be burning him Sloan. You'd use him to flush out the partisans and then someone else would -."

"You think that Saw Gerrera won't trace the attack back to Ohnaka, who will in turn trace it back to us? I want him hurting too Ephraim, after what he did to my sis, but I'm not gonna sink my crew for it."

Soniee thought the pirate's northern brogue sounded familiar but it didn't click until he turned around and she saw the eyepatch.

"I know you!" She exclaimed. "From the funeral … the one-eyed man who was looking for his friend."

Sloan Murphy nodded sagely. "You're not the only one who's supposed to be dead."

"But the Empire isn't looking for you."

"Not by name, but by reputation they are." Sloan held out his arms. He really did look like a pirate in his current ensemble, and Soniee's mind instantly flashed to the reports she'd heard of pirate activity against the Empire on the river that connected Iziz to the north sea. "I can do more against them as this than I could if they knew Sloan Murphy was still alive."

"And as long as what you need can be accomplished on Onderon." Ephraim glared.

Soniee stepped in. "Lord Harkon, if you need something to be done offworld then I might be able to help you."

"I need Saw Gerrera's head on a pike!"

Silence. Soniee thanked the gods Dalla wasn't in attendance or she wouldn't have been able to stop her from embarking on a second murder scheme. As it was she watched Ephraim Harkon's anger rise, peak, and then plummet as he collapsed onto his desk, body wracked with sobs.

"He killed my daughter," he moaned. "He killed my daughter and I want him _dead!"_

Sloan grabbed one of the chairs in front of the desk and dragged it around the side to sit next to his friend.

"If he shows his face on the planet again I'll bring him to you in beskar linked chains. I might rough him up a little bit on the journey, might choke the fear of me into him, but the end'll be yours. You can put his head on a pike or feed him to your cogs, whatever. All that son of a bantha has to do is walk on Onderonian soil."

Soniee and Korkie shared a look.

"I never met Maia," Korkie said. "But I heard about her a great deal. She seemed like the type of person who wanted the best thing for the galaxy."

Talia Harkon silently entered the room and wrapped an arm around her husband's shoulders.

Korkie went on. "She sounded like someone who would help everyone she saw, and never wanted to see anyone get hurt."

"Except she got hurt, didn't she?" Fiona stood in the doorway, her face red as her hair. "She got ripped apart by flechettes and it's _all your fault!"_

Before Korkie or any other adult could respond Fiona slammed the office door and ran away. Talia lifted her gaze to Ephraim's and the two shared an exhausted look.

"Can you…?" she shook her head. "I can't deal with her right now."

"Let her go. She'll want to be alone," Ephraim said without taking his eyes from the desk. He probably understood what she was going through better than any of them, having also lost his twin. "Gods, I wish Cornel wasn't off sailing with Arkon. He's always been good about calming her down when she's upset."

Soniee had only felt a flicker of Fiona's grief since the girl had run out so quickly, but it was mixed with something else. As concerned as she was with the girl though she knew Ephraim and Talia needed her attention far more urgently.

"We don't have to go anywhere," she said and took a seat of her own. "We'll stay with you until Lux and Dalla arrive for the funeral."


	50. Mollymauk

**MOLLYMAUK**

Dalla loved mollymauks. Every sailor did, the sacred bird was a sign of land and the end of a long voyage, but to Dalla they were something special. When she was little her father taught her about the birds' life cycle, how they helped sailors, and how it was death to kill a mollymauk. They had found a nest and marveled over the eggs before stepping back to watch the parents tend them. And Marlon taught her the mollymauk song.

It was easy to learn with a simple structure and it quickly became Dalla's favorite. When she and Lux started their little family she sang it to Ros and Noah between Lux's classic rock ballads.

"We have to teach them good music!" he'd insist and spin her plus whichever baby she was holding around. "Just one more song."

She'd laugh. "You said that three songs ago. Time for bed."

Lux would then slink off in defeat. _"Fine._ We'll sing your sea shanty."

For all her trying Lux didn't share her love of the song or its namesake bird. When he first came north for their engagement he confused a molly for an oversized gull, tried to shoo it away, and made Dalla seriously reconsider marrying him. Thank the salt gods she'd gone and done it anyway. She couldn't imagine a life without her husband and children.

Since then Lux had learned the difference and could correctly identify the stuffed birds she bought for Ros and Noah, but that was as far as he took it. Mollymauks, it seemed, would always be something of Dalla's alone.

So it was initially comforting, when her dreams took her to a strangely-lit and slightly familiar room, to see the oil painting of her favorite bird. The comforts faded when she saw the shadowy figure beside it.

Who was he? The lighting made it hard to see anything past a few feet. It was almost like someone had aimed a spotlight at her.

She wasn't going to get answers just staring. "Hello?"

"Hel...oh!" The figure's hand reached up to the bright light and switched it off. "I'm sorry for that. Now you should be able to see."

She focused closer as the black spots faded from her eyes. The man next to the painting was almost as tall as her father and wore a splattered painter's smock. As he came more into focus she could see his dark hair and - Dalla's hackles rose - Salt gods, she knew this place looked familiar!

Sanjay Rash looked her up and down from next to the spotlight. "You really are pretty. No wonder Bernard calls you his muse, with eyes like that you have such a presence to be painted. I could pick you out in any of his works."

What the...Bernard did _what?_

"But we're not here to talk about those paintings. Do you like this one?" Sanjay asked. "I painted it after I searched the net to find out what a mollymauk was. I'd heard the song about them for years at that point but I didn't know they were your favorite bird."

Dalla stared.

"I didn't know it was your favorite song either ," Sanjay prattled on obliviously. "But it all makes sense now. Of course you would sing something of personal significance."

She must have eaten something spoiled and now she was having weird dreams. That was the only way to explain this. "Excuse me?"

"Right," Sanjay shook his head and gestured to the mollymauk painting on the … easel. For whatever reason her dreams had taken her to the studio at the palace. "You wouldn't know. But I know the song. ' _Down upon the southern ocean sailing.'_ I heard you singing it so often I learned it."

"I never sang to you."

"You didn't, not in person at least."

So a recording then? That had to be it though Dalla didn't know of any recording of her singing. Maybe Father or Sloan had taken one on the sly and Sanjay had stumbled upon it when he was stalking her during the Clone War.

 _I heard you singing it so often I learned it._ Salt gods, the thought of him listening to her voice over and over made her skin crawl.

"You have a lovely voice. Did you have formal instruction?" Sanjay smiled nervously. "You know I taught visual arts but I'm afraid I don't know anything about music. I could have -."

"Gotten me some sheet music and it would have been just like you and Bernard?" She barked out a laugh.

"What? Bernard was my son!"

"But he wasn't your biological son, was he? You needed me to give you one of those."

Sanjay startled, taken aback by her outburst. "Dalla… I made a mistake and I'll never be able to make it up to you. I should have never even considered it much less tried to carry it out. If I could go back in time and change things I would in a heartbeat."

She scoffed. "Not likely. You'd never give up on having children."

 _"_ _You_ were a child! And if I succeeded I would have stolen your life. I'm so glad I failed. What you have now, your family, is more than I could have ever given you. Your daughter is so brave and your son's smile -."

"What do you know about my children?" She jumped off the stool she'd been previously seated on and crossed the space between them in two enormous steps. "Are you intruding into their lives too? Get away from them! If you touch them I'll dredge your bones from the river and burn them just to make sure you go to Dxun!"

"I would never hurt your children. I love children. I only wanted to talk to you."

"So that's why you put me here like one of your models? I've seen your paintings and I know how you dressed them." Dalla shook with anger and fear. "You can do whatever you want to me, you can have me. But stay away my children!"

 _"_ _You can have me?"_ He repeated, mouth falling open. "I don't want you! What in four moons - why would you think I was here to -?"

"You haven't been after much else the last fifty times you've popped into my head."

Sanjay stared at her agape.

"I am so sorry I caused you such pain you're having nightmares like that. I didn't know my actions affected you so deeply and I'm sorry, but they're just dreams. That was _not me."_

"It's always been you. You did it to Aunt Shara, you were thirty seconds away from doing it to me, and ever since the execution you've done it in my nightmares." Something hot and wet rolled down her cheek; she refused to believe it was a tear. "What you've done almost destroyed my marriage before it began, did you know that? I nearly lost a good man, a man who loves me, because I couldn't bear the thought of sleeping with him. It took me a long time and a lot of learning to trust Lux would never hurt me like you."

"I never imagined…"

"You should have; you hurt everyone you touch. It's a miracle Bernard walked away unscathed, or were you the one who threw his confidence down the drain?"

"Leave him out of this!" Sanjay stood, towering over her. "He was my son! I taught him and I built him up, I did for him everything I wished someone would have done for me because I promised myself he would have a better life than me. _He was my son!"_

"So this is how it goes tonight." Sometimes the Sanjay of her nightmares would pretend to be gentle, other times he was a tower of rage. "I know how this ends Sanjay, just get it over with already!"

Instantly he backed off.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," he lay his head in his hands and his body wracked with unshed tears. "You saved me from a fate worse than death and I wanted to see you. I thought we could talk about the birds since we both love them."

"We have nothing in common and there's nothing to talk about."

"But maybe if we do it'll help your nightmares go away? Please, it's my fault this is happening to you, let me help fix it."

"You can't. If you actually want to help then stop torturing me and finish this so I can wake up!"

"Gods, I'm so sorry!" He sobbed and reached out with one hand to tap her forehead...

Dalla woke up. Lux lay beside her in bed, but she had never felt so alone.

She sat up and wiped the tears from her face, careful not to disturb her sleeping husband. He was already upset after attending Maia's funeral and didn't need to deal with her problems tonight. She would pull herself together and no one would be the wiser.

Only that was easier said than done. The one mercy her nightmares had given her until now, was that Sanjay never spoke to her. She couldn't just go back to sleep after this.

She sat in bed for a few minutes longer before she heard the bird's call from outside and made her way to the porthole to investigate.

A mollymauk circled over the _Southern Whore,_ its white body a stark contrast against the pitch-black sky. It almost looked like the bird was looking down at her.

She had to be imagining it. A mollymauk wouldn't care about someone belowdecks on a passing ship, or about anyone really unless they were threatening it or offering it food. But this one she almost swore was watching over her.

Maybe it would be possible to sleep tonight if she believed it.


	51. Shipping Out

**SHIPPING OUT**

Nessa held the flimsi package in her hands. She knew very well what it contained. She had steamed it open to look inside and then ever so carefully sealed it again.

She had learned the skills of snooping by watching her mother. Maris Flint-Frasier-Tandin for all her good intentions had always been a terrible snoop.

It was a useful talent, running a busy dockside pub and inn with all sorts of visitors coming and going all the time, especially with the Empire starting to breathe down their necks even here, way up North.

Besides, it wasn't really snooping. Nessa was only trying to look out for her best friend.

"How long have you had it?" Kayla, who was sitting across the booth from Nessa, asked, gesturing to the package in her hands.

"A couple of months."

Kayla nodded. "My professor commed me. He said that Chuck had agreed to compensate his model for her time. He wanted to make sure that the deal was upheld."

Nessa turned the package she was holding over and over in her hands nervously. "You think I should give her this?"

"You posed for him as well?"

"I don't want anything from him!" The poor girl burst out. "He wanted more from me than just posing for pictures and when I wouldn't do that, he called me all sorts of things that weren't true! And Lana was in love with him. Maybe she still is. Whatever it was, she was just starting to get over it and… and I didn't want to dredge all that up again."

Kayla reached over the table between them and laid her hand on the other girl's. "Maybe now that it's been awhile and she's had some time to let all that cool, it's about time to tell her the truth."

Nessa heaved a shaky sigh. "Maybe you're right."

A few hours later she'd finally gathered the courage to deliver the package to the Hold. Lana squealed when she saw the delivery and practically ripped the package from Nessa's hands.

"Something you were expecting?" she asked trying to sound innocent.

Lana nodded. "It's from Chuck! He must be done with the gallery and he's sending for me. Maybe he got me a ..." She trailed off seeing the contents of the package. "It's credits."

She pulled a note from among the chits. _"'Miss Blackwell, this is your compensation for time spent.'_ He … he didn't even sign his name."

Nessa didn't know what to say. "I… I'm sorry," she finally managed.

"You're sorry?"

"I know you've been waiting…"

Lana's forehead creased in a deeper frown as she suspiciously turned the package over to look at the postage date. "Did it… get lost in the mail?"

Nessa shook her head, riddled with guilt. "N-no. I… I didn't want…"

"You didn't want me to hear from him at all." Lana began to work up a steam. "You wanted him all for yourself. You were jealous that finally a boy liked me better than you and you just couldn't bare it!"

"P-please, Lana. That's not…" tears pooled in Nessa's eyes and threatened to spill over but her one time best friend never noticed.

Lana thrust the package back into the older girl's hands spilling some of the credit chits onto the floor. "Well, here then! You wanted him and you can have his kriffing credits!"

...

Truly it was a shock that no one else found Lana before Kayla. Her sister-in-law had never been good at finding hiding places, and hadn't even bothered to take cover in Kayla's makeshift studio.

Kayla dragged a chair to Lana's side and sat. "I hear you got a package in the post."

"A couple of months ago!" Lana cried. "I thought Nessa was my friend but she kept him from me! She made me think he didn't want anything to do with me when he left but he really did, and now he paid me to go away!"

"I see," Kayla wrapped a comforting arm around Lana's shoulders while simultaneously thanking the salt gods that Chuck had indeed left without trying to make further contact. He was no Emoth. He only wanted one thing and wouldn't have stood by Lana if and when things got complicated.

Thinking of complications reminded Kayla of something else: "When you asked me about the hypo it wasn't for a friend, was it?"

Lana shook her head and wiped her nose on her sleeve. "I was just trying to learn from someone else's mistakes."

Kayla's stomach sank. Speaking of mistakes, wasn't it about time for her to…?

"I'll be right back, Lana," she said and hurried from the room.

That couldn't be right. Kayla frantically flipped through the pages on her calendar. Maybe she skipped a page? The things got stuck together all the time. Now just was one of those times, wasn't it? It couldn't possibly have been six weeks since she last…

The pages wouldn't come apart. Stupid thing! Kayla pulled harder and the flimsi sliced her thumb.

"Ow!" She stuck her thumb in her mouth and tried to mentally bring up the calendar. If her cycle started six weeks ago, then it should have been back two weeks ago. Or maybe not? Maybe she'd counted wrong.

As if she needed one more thing to worry about Dalla came into the room. "Kayla, do you know Bernard's class schedule off the top of your head? I'm trying to find a good time to comm him about that project I hired him for."

"Um, I know he has a class in the midmorning." Kayla's voice cracked and she broke down into tears.

"Oh gods." Dalla placed a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong? What is it?"

"It-it…" Kayla gestured to the calendar.

Dalla saw it. "Oh."

"Are the pages stuck together?"

She picked it up. "No, they're not. Is this your…?"

Kayla sobbed and Dalla hugged her. "It's going to be okay. We're going to get you cleaned up, and then we're going to go to the drugstore and get a test. Lux and Emoth will watch the kids. Okay?"

Kayla nodded against Dalla's shoulder and wiped her eyes.

…

"Do you want some candy?" Dalla held out the liquorice whips she'd bought at the drugstore alongside Kayla's pregnancy tests.

"How can you eat right now?" Kayla hugged her knees to her chest. "We've already had one positive test!"

"It wasn't positive, it was defective. There was only a little blue at the ends," Dalla put the candy away. "Sometimes they act up like that. All we can do is relax while the next one seasons."

Kayla looked to the timer they were using to measure how long the test had to go and seeing as it only had a few seconds left, switched it off and picked the test up off the counter.

"Do you want to watch the HoloNet news?" Dalla asked, oblivious to what Kayla was doing. "It may not be happy but at least it's something to get your mind off the situation."

Kayla wasn't listening. "Dalla."

"It's stressful enough when you don't have a distraction."

 _"_ _Dalla!"_

This time Dalla heard the panic in Kayla's voice. In a flash she'd crossed the room and taken in the clearly stressed Kayla, and her pregnancy test with two clearly defined blue lines.

"Well, osik."

"That's not defective!" Kayla cried. "It's positive. What do I do?"

Dalla seemed shocked as anyone. "I...I didn't think it was going to be positive."

Kayla wailed.

"Hold on," Dalla sat them both down on the couch and wrapped her arm around Kayla's shoulders. "I'm sorry. This is scary enough when you have someone who knows what they're doing."

Kayla hadn't even heard her. "Oron's in so much pain and he's only _three!_ How can I do that to another child?"

It was hard for Dalla not to dwell on that fact as well but she sought for a positive. "Jak and Suza were both healthy, maybe this one will be as well."

"We…" Kayla took a deep shaky breath. "We did always say we wanted two boys and two girls. But… but that was before Oron. Before we knew it was possible that…"

Dalla grasped onto the former. "You know how much Suza would love having a baby sister."

"She would, wouldn't she?" Kayla smiled through her tears and then shook her head. "We'll just have to pray to the salt gods for a healthy baby girl or… or a boy. As long as it's healthy, that's what matters."

Dalla grabbed a box of tissues and placed them on Kayla's lap. "Do you know what Jak said to me when I had snack duty a few days ago? He wants to be a doctor so he can take care of kids like his brother."

"Really?"

"Really. And have you ever known Jak not to do what he says he's going to? He'll be applying to medical schools by the time he's twelve. He's going to be an amazing doctor and he's going to do so much for Oron and anyone else with this disease."

"He will," Kayla blotted at her tears with a tissue. "He's such a good big brother."

"Aye, he is. He's going to be amazing with this baby. And Suza too. Remember when Oron was little and we had to keep her from hauling him around like one of her dolls?"

Kayla nodded. "I do. She'll try to do it with this one, no matter how we try to stop her."

Dalla put a hand on her shoulder. "And I promise you that Lux and I will be there to help you chase down your little monsters. No matter how things turn out."

…

Captain Arkon Blackwell could have had a girl in every port. He was a handsome young noble with his Lady mother's fair hair and his Admiral father's little boy grin. He would have been quite a catch for any girl, if he stayed in any port long enough to be caught.

Even in his own home port at Blackhold he was eager to be done with the business at hand and then get back out on the water. They said he took after his father in that respect as well. If it hadn't been for some sort family emergency he would have most likely stayed on the _Storm Rider_ to oversee reprovisioning from the deck.

The Admiral's orders hadn't been specific as to what sort of chaos he was about to walk into. That was why he had decided to step into the pub on the way over. Surely Aunt Maris would know what was going on and she could clue him in.

He sat at the bar and ordered a drink but neither Aunt Maris nor her husband, Uncle Grigori, were anywhere in sight. Arkon was on the point of asking Nessa where he might find them, or perhaps he could just ask her since she was Lana's best friend, when he noticed her tears.

He reached out and his hand brushed against hers as she handed him his drink. She startled and they stared at each other for half a moment as if they had never seen each other before.

Finally he spoke, "you've been crying. Is everything alright?"

"It's… it's nothing," she averted.

"It doesn't seem like nothing." He had a sudden inspiration. "It doesn't have anything to do with whatever's going on up at the Hold, does it? Dad ordered me home and I was hoping for a little insight before…"

Nessa attempted to wipe her eyes with her sleeve. "I don't know."

He took a flimsi napkin from the dispenser and dried them for her. "Then what's all this about?"

His gaze held hers and didn't drift elsewhere, not like Chuck and pretty much every other boy on the planet, as if he actually cared what she had to say.

"It's Lana," she sighed. "There was this artist and I was only trying to look out for my friend. He was just playing with her. I swear I didn't do anything to lead him on but Lana still blames me and now she's not speaking to me."

Arkon took her hand. "You were just trying to help. Lana will figure that out once she cools down. It wasn't your fault."

"Do you really think so?"

"Aye! You know how Lana is." He smiled and looked down at her hand in his. He decided he didn't really want to let go. "Hey, I have to go up to the Hold anyway in a bit. I'll talk to her if you'd like me to."

"Aye, thanks." She also didn't seem to be in a hurry for him to go. "You'll finish your drink first?"

"Aye." He remembered it was there and picked it up with his free hand to take a sip. He'd make it last as long as he could.

…

"That artist thing happened months ago," Arkon said to Lux in the kitchen where he and his cousin-in-law were both enjoying a late lunch of sandwiches. "Why do they still care about it?"

"Because they're girls," Lux replied.

"What does that matter? It was still a long time ago, they should be over it."

"Girls aren't like guys. When guys get into a fight, they throw a few punches and it's over. Girls will take it to their grave."

Arkon gave him a questioning look and Lux sighed and set down his sandwich. "Okay, here's an example. When I was thirteen a boy at my boarding school called me a nuna-legged loser and tripped me in the hall. I jumped up and punched him in the face, we fought on the hallway floor until the teachers pulled us apart, and the next day we played on the same bolo-ball team."

Arkon had seen and been a part of similar situations. "Aye, that makes sense."

"And when _Dalla_ was thirteen a girl tricked her into thinking she had a secret admirer. When Dalla found out they beat each other up until Sloan and some whores peeled them off each other and Sloan carried Dalla back to the Hold like a sack of potatoes. To this day, whenever we go to services we can't sit in the same pew as that girl and her family. And when they look at each other, they glare."

"What? And this was how many years ago?"

Lux sighed and took a bite of his sandwich. "Girls. They never let it go."

Arkon got an idea. "You said it was Sloan who helped break it up, right? Her big brother?"

"He broke up the fistfight," Lux said carefully. "But he couldn't do anything for the resulting feud."

"But that was just some girl, aye? Surely Dalla would have gotten over it if had been her best friend."

"I don't know about that…" Lux began but Arkon was already getting up out of his seat.

"Thanks. I gotta go talk to Lana," the younger man called as he headed off to find his sister.

"Good luck." Lux shook his head and went back to his sandwich.

…

This was not going the way he had imagined.

Lana screamed, "Of course you take her side! You're in love with her just like every other male on the planet! You don't care that she stole the one guy who ever paid any attention to me!"

"No, I'm not!" Arkon countered. "And you are way too young to even be thinking about guys!"

"And how would you know that since you've been on your kriffing ship for the past standard year?"

"I've been out there making a valuable contribution to this family and you should watch your mouth…"

Their father didn't even seem to be phased by their escalating volume as he walked up and stepped between them. Jamos addressed his youngest son, "Good you're home. Meet your new midshipman." He patted Lana on the shoulder.

The siblings looked at each other and then at the Admiral, agast, "WHAT?!"

"Dad, you can't be serious!"

"I've never been more serious," he gazed sternly at his daughter. "Your mother gave you the proper exams as a part of your schooling."

"I thought that was just part of the curriculum to graduate," she mumbled.

"And your duty roster has already been amended to include your new crew members," Jamos informed his son.

The proper response to his superior was, "Aye, Sir," but Arkon choked on the words.

"Good. Glad that's settled."

…

"Dalla, open up! We need you!" Brother and sister had agreed to work together to get out of this mess. The only way they could think of to do that was to go over their father's head. Lady of the North out ranked the Admiral, didn't she?

There was a shuffle of movement with what sounded like two sets of footsteps and a muffled curse before Dalla opened her office door halfway, clad in navy blue medical scrubs.

"Aye, what is it?"

"Why are you in scrubs?" Lana asked. "You look like one of the doctors from Lux's favorite show."

There was a snicker of a laugh from inside the room.

Dalla ignored it. "They're comfortable. What do you need me for?"

Arkon took the lead. "We know you're not directly involved in the planning for the fleet but you're still the Lady of the North. That means you hold the highest command post in the navy and you can override any orders."

"I can," she confirmed. "But that doesn't necessarily mean I will. Which order are you referring to?"

"Well, Dad sort of overreacted to that thing that happened with the artist and -."

"You mean the order assigning you to the _Storm Rider?"_ Dalla laughed out loud. "No way. That was the best idea Uncle Jamos has had in months."

Lana sputtered. "But-but I don't -."

"I frankly don't care that you'd rather stay at home, Lana. You may be the youngest of a second son, but you're still a highborn lady and it's high time you accept the responsibilities that come with that. You will be on that ship for its next voyage, and that's final."

"I don't want her on my crew," Arkon tried another tactic. "Can't she do something else?"

"Uncle Jamos and I agree that Lana should be closely supervised. He can't do it himself, so the next best person is you." She glanced over her shoulder. "I need to go finish something. You two should prepare for your voyage."

She shut the door and before she turned on the soundproofing Arkon and Lana heard snatches of a conversation. _This place...ruined the moment...maybe yours?_

"Well that didn't go as planned," Arkon sighed as they walked away.

"What do we do now? She has the final authority!"

"Not exactly," They rounded a bend in the hallway and Arkon quickened his pace. "There's one more person here who outranks her. We just need a few minutes to come up with a plan…"

Lux was oddly enough also dressed in scrubs and seemed even more flustered than Dalla when they knocked on his office door a quarter of an hour later but he quickly composed himself. "Arkon, Lana, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Lux," Lana said in her sweetest voice. "I noticed you've been really busy over the last few days. And your job is so interesting."

"Is this a conversation or a job application?" He smiled with amusement.

"Both," she shrugged. This was the best she could hope for if Dalla wouldn't take her off the roster. Working for Lux might be boring, but he liked to do everything himself. The worst he would make her do was put away datapads for an hour before she slipped away with him none the wiser. "Dad wants to assign me to a ship but I thought I could make better use of my time helping you."

Lux smiled and she knew she had him.

"Aye Lana, you can definitely help me. I just need to find a few things..." He rifled around in his desk. "Now, where is that comm frequency?"

"I can help you look."

"No, no that's alright." He gave up on his search and shouted down the hallway. "Hey Dalla, tell that lord we were talking to we found a bride for him!"

Lana grabbed Lux's desk to steady herself. _"No!"_

"Well, that's all I need help with." Lux scooped a stylus off his desk and went back to his flimziwork without missing a beat. "You should go get fitted for your officer's uniform, Lana. And next time, don't try to pit me against my wife."

Lana startled. "What?"

"The tailor's will be closing soon. You'd better get going if you want to make it in time."

Arkon and Lana all but scrambled out of his office.

Once the door was shut a voice came from under his desk: "'Hey Dalla, tell that lord we found a bride for him?' What exactly did you expect me to do, throw my voice like a ventriloquist?"

Lux tilted his desk chair back to get a better look at his wife. "You're a woman of many talents."

"I am," she agreed, climbing out from under the desk and onto his lap. "And you, _tre coi,_ are getting more attractive by the second. I love it when you shut down their little schemes."

Lux didn't waste a second using the remote control to lock the door again.

…

Well, if she didn't look like another one of the Blackwell boys before, she certainly did now in her brand new uniform, standing at the rail of her brother's ship, looking longingly at the dock from which they would soon be sailing away. She just wanted to be home in the Hold castle.

Lana had largely ignored her fellow crew members since coming aboard. There would be plenty of time to get to know them when they were all stuck together on this stupid voyage for salt gods knew how long. She definitely wasn't in the mood for small talk when she heard the first mate behind her say, "why don't you say hello to your fellow midshipman?"

It hadn't exactly been an order so she ignored this as well until she realized it hadn't been to her that First Mate Colin Kretash was speaking. A boy about her own age though maybe a little taller came over to stand next to her. His spanking new uniform carried the same rank insignia as her own, only he seemed thrilled to be here. He also seemed to have no idea who she was.

"So a female midshipman," he opened the conversation cheerfully.

She bristled. "You think a girl isn't capable?"

"No! No, that's not what I meant. It's just unfortunate that they haven't come up with a less exclusive title in the past thousand or so years." He laughed uncomfortably.

She shrugged. "I passed all the tests."

"Me too." He said proudly. "Although that mathematics was by the skin of my teeth." He confided in her and lowered his voice conspiratorially. "I don't think it hurt my appointment to the _Storm Rider_ that my cousin is the first mate."

She turned and really looked at him for a moment taking in the Kratash eyes, dark mahogany hair, and kind smile and just responded, "aye," before turning back to look at the dock.

She couldn't believe that this boy really didn't have any idea who she was or why she was there. Maybe he'd been too busy studying to know what's been going on it the outside world. She was sure everyone on Onderon had heard about her scandal by now.

Out on the dock the captain was preparing to board the ship but before he did so he was saying goodbye to a girl. She's gave him a basket of food and told him to be careful and that she'd be waiting for him. He asked if he might comm her now and then and she said she would like that very much.

"My name's Aidon Kretash." The boy beside Lana hadn't noticed the drama playing out before them until he saw her seething. He looked back and forth between the scene on the dock and the girl beside him and he guessed, "you're jealous?"

"What? No, you sod! You think I have feelings for the captain? He's my brother!"

"But if Captain Blackwell is your…" Midshipman Aidon Kretash finally put the pieces together. "Then that makes you…"

She rolled her eyes and moved towards the place where the junior officers were instructed to stand to greet the captain as he boarded his ship.

Aidon followed on her heels and whispered, "but I always heard the Captain's little sister looked like just another of the Blackwell boys. You're too pretty to be Lana Blackwell."

She whispered back to him out of the corner of her mouth, "now you're just making fun of me."

He smiled, turning his eyes forward to stand at attention. "I don't think making fun of a Blackwell would be very good for my career."


	52. Paternity

**PATERNITY**

A little time has passed and Kayla has delivered her fourth child, a girl they named Dalla Quay, D.Q. for short. She's perfectly healthy, though along with the news of her birth the rumors are quick to spread about the parents who were so foolish as to have another child after their third was stricken with such a terrible disease. All of them must be carriers.

"Let them think it," says Dalla Bonteri as she cuddles her new baby goddaughter and namesake. "It'll be safer for she and Suza in the long run."

Of course Dalla and Lux haven't forgotten about their first goddaughters, the one who ran away and died in the service of the Partisans and the one who was left behind…

…

Okay so maybe he didn't look all that much like Saw Gerrera but his dark skin and light eyes had been enough of a resemblance to her sister's abductor. It was the anniversary of Maia's death and Fiona Harkon had already had more than a few drinks when the stranger walked in to the pub.

She didn't remember much other than throwing her arms around him. "You gonna carry me away like you did her?"

"Babe, I would carry you anywhere." His voice wasn't like Saw Gerrera's either but kissing shut him up. That and more drinks.

And then she had woken up in a bed beside him. She was in no doubt as to what they had done even if she couldn't remember it. She didn't want to go home to Harkon Hall but where else was there. Her own room, the room she had once shared with her twin sister, would be cold and empty, so she wandered down the guest wing.

"Fifi?" The voice startled her.

She looked back at the young man standing in the doorway. She had forgotten that her father's apprentice shipbuilder was back after the maiden voyage of one of the ships he had designed. "Cornel."

"Are you alright?" He asked, concerned.

She ran to him and hugged him. It took him a moment to recover from the shock of the sudden physical contact but then he wrapped his arms around her too.

"I miss Maia," she cried into his shoulder.

"I know," he whispered back. Cornel Blackwell was a man of few words but he was a good listener. She could pour her heart out to him and he'd never question or complain or they could, like now, just stand together in the comfortable silence of their embrace.

…

Fiona had spent the last several mornings puking her guts out and now at the family dinner table three weeks after the _incident_ , the food didn't look quite appetizing. She pushed her plate away.

Everyone knew what it meant even if they hadn't seen the results of any kind of test.

Her father broke the uncomfortable silence. "You should be glad your grandmother didn't live to see this."

Fiona squeaked in protest and her brother gave a nervous laugh.

"Truman!" Talia admonished and got a whispered, "sorry," before she also addressed her daughter, "do you even know who the father is?"

Fiona blurted out sarcastically, "Cornel is the father."

"You didn't just…"

"That is a new low even for you…"

"To blame a guest in our house…"

They were on the point of making her apologize to him when the man himself stood and took her hand in his and said, "I am the father."

They were all too shocked to say anything for a moment, wondering if he really knew what that meant.

Fiona stood also, still holding his hand. "Cornel, I didn't…" but when she looked into his eyes… That in itself was something he was not generally comfortable with, but he _was_ making eye contact with her all the same. She found that she wished that he was the father.

She dragged him out of the room with her. When they were alone she confessed. "Cornel you're not. You and I never…"

"Arkon is the captain of _Storm Rider_ ," He stated.

She stared at him confused.

"He didn't make it, but it's his. He is the captain."

Fiona thought she was beginning to understand.

Cornel hesitantly lifted his hand and brushed her cheek with a feather light touch. "I didn't make the baby but it needs a father. I will… I am the father." His gaze dropped away self-consciously. "You said I was. If that's what you want…"

She took his hand that was still hovering near her face and pressed it to her cheek. "Aye. Aye, that's what I want."

He smiled. He had his mother's warm, honest smile not Jamos's cheeky grin. "I want to be a good father and… husband?"

"Cornel are you… are you asking me to marry you?"

"Aye," he said. "If you don't think I'm too old for you."

It was true. There was quite an age difference. He was twenty-four. She was sixteen. That was part of the reason that she had never even considered the idea of their being together. That and his father was friends with her grandfather. She was a child when he arrived at Harkon Hall to be her father's apprentice shipwright.

And then she looked up at him and realized he was smiling. He was teasing her. She laughed and swatted his arm playfully. "My old man."

"My Fiona," he whispered as he bent toward her ever so slowly. It was as if he was giving her every chance to push him away until their lips met.

She had never expected to enjoy his kiss quite as much as she did, or the way he said her name and called her his own. He left her breathless. "You should ask my father," she blurted.

"Now." Cornel nodded. "I'll ask him now." He took her hand and led her back into the dining room. They were met with silence so he didn't hesitate. "Lord Harkon, I want you to let me marry Fiona." He wasn't looking exactly at her father, rather somewhere on the table in front of where the man sat.

"Well, er, Cornel that's very…" Ephraim began.

His wife took up where he left off. "It's a very noble gesture but we know your not…" But Talia too, stopped mid sentence. Perhaps she noticed the way that her daughter and the young man were looking at each other.

"I am the father." Cornel repeated his earlier assertion. "I want to be responsible for Fiona and the baby."

Her parents were at a loss. It was Glover Harkon who finally spoke up with a bit of a smile. "Perhaps a comm to Blackhold is in order to see how his family feels about this?"

Cornel nodded. "Aye, we need a Blackwell representative for a wedding."

"Well, I think we'd need a few other things for a wedding." Talia had never thought she would need to plan a wedding quite so soon and she wasn't sure if she was feeling cordial enough toward her daughter at the moment to spend the time with her that it would take to do such a thing. She couldn't deny the way the two young people obviously felt about each other. Still she worried as any mother would… Shara. Aye. She needed to speak to Shara.

…

" _So what's this all about?_ " The blue holographic image of Jamos Blackwell stood before them with his usual good humor and his wife slightly more wary at his side.

"Well," Ephraim looked to his own wife and then attempted to think where to start.

"You know we've had our hands full with Fiona the last couple years," Talia began. "and since we lost Maia…"

Ephraim squeezed her shoulder.

" _You don't hold the monopoly on rebellious daughters_ ," Jamos shook his head.

Shara swatted him and took control of the conversation. " _Is Fiona okay? Do you need us to do anything?_ "

The Harkon's shared another look before Talia announced, "She's pregnant."

Jamos, as they all expected, even though it was neither the time nor place, answered with humor. " _So you want your Papa and I to help you hunt down the low-life and make him take responsibility for_ …"

Ephraim stopped him before make a complete fool of himself. "She says Cornel is the father."

" _Excuse me?_ "

" _Cornel? My son? Cornel Blackwell?_ "

"We don't believe she was telling the truth," Talia hurried to explain. "Until tonight they had never seemed to be more friends or brother and sister."

"But tonight at dinner he stood up with her, took responsibility for the child and asked to marry our daughter." Ephraim nodded at Jamos's expression of incredulity. "Doesn't seem like it's been that long ago that you and my father were joking about joining our families with one of your boys marrying one of my sisters." His voice broke as it did everytime he mentioned Elinor or Miranda. He cleared his throat before he went on. "Never imagined I'd be approaching you about one of your boys marrying my baby girl."

" _She's so young_." Shara looked as if she might need to sit down. " _And Cornel is_ …" She had tried her best with her son but it was just a fact that his emotional and cognitive development had been more delayed than the others. She'd had reservations about sending him off for his apprenticeship when he turned 16 knowing that his social skills weren't always what they should be. She knew he'd spent a good deal of his growing up away from her at Harkon Hall.

Ephraim looked at her sincerely through the holo connection. "Cornel is a talented, caring, responsible, young man. It has been a privilege having him as my apprentice these past eight years. I quite honestly believe that he would be an excellent husband and father."

Shara's hand went to her lips to cover a happy sob at hearing the praise of her son.

Jamos put an arm around her shoulder. " _You still have your reservations, though?_ "

Talia sighed. "Fiona is a nexu. She says this is what she wants now but what if she changes her mind in a month or a year. I hate to say it about my own daughter but I also don't want to see Cornel hurt."

Shara was thoughtful for a moment and then asked, " _Do you believe that they love each other?_ "

Talia and Ephraim shared another look and she shrugged resignedly.

"I never would have even considered it a possibility before today." Ephraim said honestly. "But seeing the two of them together when he came to ask for her hand, it seemed so obvious."

Talia nodded. "It was like they were always meant for each other and we're all just now seeing it." She huffed. "Still I wish we would have known sooner and could have steered them together before she went off and…"

" _Could be that if parents tried to interfere it would have driven them further apart._ " Shara observed.

" _How about this_ ," Jamos spoke up. " _We'll ask Cornel to come home. We'll say it's for the wedding preparations. Maybe a month or two apart will make them see things differently_."

" _Or absence could make the heart grow fonder._ " Shara smiled at her husband thinking of the time they had been kept apart when they were young and her divorce had not yet been finalized.

" _Aye_." He grinned back at her.

"Doesn't sound like a half bad idea." Ephraim agreed. "Tal?"

"Aye. Put it off for a bit and see what happens." Talia smiled. "I'm relieved to hear you say it, actually. It all just seemed so sudden."

Her husband gave her a squeeze and then asked the other parents. "They're out in the hall waiting. Would you like me to bring them in?"

When her son entered the holo field with his arm around the girl, Shara thought for a moment she was having a flashback. Fiona had that same Bralykburn determination in her eyes that her aunt Kayla had possessed all those years ago when Emoth had brought her home, sixteen and pregnant. Her aunt, Shara tried to reason it out, who would now be her sister-in-law.

"We're getting married, Momma!" Cornel exclaimed happily.

" _The Harkons told us, Love. We're very happy for you_." Shara couldn't help but smile. She could see it too, the way that the couple looked at each other.

"Dad, we're gonna have a baby!"

" _I heard that, Son_." Jamos smiled but it wasn't quite his signature grin. He was worried they were rushing into things as much as the rest of the parents. " _Hey, what do you think about coming back to the Hold and we'll get a couple of rooms all set up for you and your wife and the baby?_ "

Cornel's face brightened at the idea until he glanced sideways at the girl who was standing next to him and saw her disappointment.

"You'll take me with you, won't you?" she asked with a pout.

He looked back and forth between his parents and his girl.

"Fiona," her mother spoke up softly from behind her. "I was hoping that maybe you and I could have some time together to plan your wedding. I know I haven't always been there for you the way you need me to be. I hoped that…"

"You just want to tear us apart!" The girl complained vehemently.

Then she relaxed visibly at the soft words of her husband-to-be. "Won't be for long and I'll get the rooms all ready for you and make a new cradle for the baby."

"She'll need a new one, won't she." Fiona beamed at him.

"Dalla Quay is still using the old one."

"But even if Emoth and Kayla's youngest wasn't using some old relic our baby still should have one of her own."

Shara jumped on the topic. "I _'m sure Kayla and Kora would be happy to pass down any of the baby things they've used for their little ones whether the new baby turns out to be a boy or a girl_." She smiled knowingly. " _They grow so fast some of the things were hardly used at all_."

Fiona scowled at the idea of hand-me-downs.

" _And think of all the playmates the baby will have growing up at the Hold_." Jamos added.

"Almost like Maia and me," Fiona allowed grudgingly with a blame laden side eye at her parents.

Cornel didn't notice the insinuation. He gave his bride-to-be a one armed hug and said softly to her, "we could name her Maia, if it's a girl."

She grinned up at him. "Aye."

…

Cornel lay in his bed awake the night before he would return home to Blackhold. He hadn't really thought of that place as home for the past eight years he had been serving his apprenticeship at Harkon Hall but now he would be preparing a place for he and his wife and their child to share.

His mind was so full of the planning and designs of the furniture he would build and the colors he would paint and all the things he would do to make the space comfortable and new and beautiful for his Fifi that he almost didn't hear the latch of his door as it clicked open or the shuffle of bare feet as his betrothed entered and then shut the door quietly behind her.

"Cornel, are you awake?" She said softly.

"Aye," he whispered into the darkness.

He could see her form silhouetted in the moonlight from his window. She looked small and thin in her nightgown, with nothing to indicate her pregnancy at this early stage. They had gone to the midwife however and verified the fact. She was carrying inside her own tiny body the child who would be Cornel's daughter or son.

"I couldn't sleep." She took a step closer to his bed.

"Neither could I," he admitted.

She took a deep shaky breath and then another step forward. "And I didn't want you to leave before…"

Fiona drew the nightgown off over her head and then without another hesitation climbed into the bed beside him under the covers. "I didn't want you to go away and forget all about me."

His own breathing became faster and more ragged as she slipped a hand under his sleep tunic and ran it over his chest. He nearly lost the ability to form words. "Fiona... we're not supposed to… before the wedding."

"Pish," She hissed close to his ear as she continued to undress him. She sounded much more confident than she had a moment before. "They only say that so a baby won't be made but since we already have one, it doesn't matter. And then it'll be like it's really ours, together."

He couldn't refute her logic and he didn't want to.


	53. Do As I Say, Not As I Do

**DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO**

And then there were two.

Gungi had been older than any of them by Galactic Standard reckoning but he was the youngest in Wookie years. He was far too young to leave the living Force. Petro and Katooni, however, didn't have time to mourn him as they would have liked.

Gungi had fought hard and had given them a means of escape. They would honor him by living on.

They left the snow speeder in the ditch where it had crashed and continued on foot. Thankfully the swirling blizzard disguised their trail and Katooni could sense that not far ahead of them was an abandoned hovel where they could take shelter for the long cold night.

They shivered close together and consumed their meager rations. "It's colder than the ice caves on Ilum." He laughed with chattering teeth. "I thought I'd never get out of there."

"It would be warmer if we share body heat." She suggested.

"Yeah," he agreed. But being so close awakened another heat in both of them that neither of them had known they possessed.

He could sense in her the same desire that burned in his own flesh but he didn't want to take advantage. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes!" She gave her mutual consent with her whole being.

After, as they held onto each other tightly, neither of them had regrets but Katooni did realize, "this is why they didn't want us to form attachments. We have so much more to lose."

Petro laughed off her concern. "Nothing's gonna happen. We have each other and more of a reason now to fight."

They spent those next few weeks totally wrapped up in each other and exploring this new found physical relationship. It might have made them more distracted and reckless when they should have been watching out for danger. Then they were discovered and it was her idea to comm for Hondo Ohnaka's help.

When the pirate arrived the Imperial officers were hard on their heels.

"Go!" Katooni told him, "I'm right behind you."

But she wasn't. She was cornered and as Ohnaka's ship lifted off, Petro felt her life go out of the Force along with that tiny spark of new life that was inside her. At the time he didn't understand what that was but he knew she didn't want to be taken alive by the inquisitors because of it.

…

He woke up in his hammock on the _Ellie's Revenge_ sweating and breathing hard but he didn't scream because he hadn't screamed when it happened. She had communicated to him in her last moments that he had to stay quiet and get away to honor her sacrifice. It shouldn't have been him who got away, it should have been her.

He shook himself out of the recurring nightmare and went up on deck for some fresh air. Aways off their bow he saw the lights of the port. He was thankful that they were going to get some shoreleave and that it was here at Harkon Hall. He remembered that little redhead he had shared a bed with a few weeks ago, the last time they were in port. She would help him forget the nightmares.

…

And there she was sitting at the bar. There was no drink in front of her yet but he could remedy that. She also looked so… sad. Petro could sense a turmoil within her and something else that hadn't been there upon their last meeting.

He sat on the stool beside her, gave her his most winning smile and asked, "What can I get for you?"

The little redhead glanced at him and then returned her gaze to the surface of the bar. "I can't."

"Aww, come on. Last time I was here…"

"I can't drink with _you…_ " She cut him off and then announced, "because I'm getting married."

"Well that's," he floundered for a moment, "that's a reason to celebrate! And maybe have some fun before you're anchored to the old man?"

She sighed heavily. "No, I can't _drink_ because I'm pregnant." She stared at him for a moment so he couldn't miss the fact that she was blaming him.

He stammered, "H-how far along?"

"You should know. You were there."

"But you're getting married!"

"Aye, someone else decided to stand by me and take responsibility."

"Hey now!" Petro attempted to defend himself. "I didn't even know. I've been out on a voyage…"

Then she began to ramble. "I only came down here because my mother is driving me crazy with all the wedding preparations. But then she should, after all, because it's going to be the biggest wedding of the century. No, of the millennia! The most important match since the days of Sanya Harkon!"

Petro had heard that name before. Sanya Harkon was the captain of that ghost ship that the northern sailors swear they saw at the moment of their death. "That's really something," he mumbled.

"You don't think a Harkon/Blackwell match is important?" she inquired with an aristocratic air.

Petro choked on his ale.

She went on proudly. "Of course my grandfather is also a Bralykburn on my mother's side so that's all three of the great northern houses represented."

How could he compete with that? Did he even want to?

He was saved, or maybe not quite saved exactly, by his captain, Sloan Murphy, coming to join them.

"Is there a problem here?" the one-eyed pirate asked.

"No, no problem here." Fiona Harkon took her fruit juice from the bartender. "Everything has been taken care of."

Sloan grabbed Petro by the collar and pulled him aside.

"Petro," he growled. "You want to explain yourself now, or after I knock you into next week?"

But it didn't seem like he needed to do much explaining. Once he got to the part about him and Fiona at the pub Sloan's face turned stormy and he yanked him out of the pub into the side alley.

"I have one rule for shore leave. What is it?"

Habit took over and Petro snapped to attention. "We don't kriff Harkons and we don't talk to Blackwells, Captain!"

"And so you walk off my ship and kriff a Harkon?"

"I...I didn't know she was a Harkon."

"Are you blind? That hair's like waving a Harkon flag!"

"I wasn't looking. I was drunk." He didn't know why he was still talking when it would be a better idea to just smile and nod but he couldn't shut his mouth.

"Even drunks can see color. I know that!"

"I'm sorry. I should have asked her name."

"Aye you should have! You have no excuses here, _none,_ and now you're going to step up and take responsibility. Salt gods, how many times have I told you lot to stay away from Harkons? Did I just go in one ear and out the other? Were you _drunk_ when I was talking?!"

"I just wanted to forget!" Petro burst out and then, finally, shut his mouth.

Sloan lifted an eyebrow. "Forget what?"

He should answer his captain. He really should. But Petro kept his lips sealed.

"Or is it 'forget _who?'"_

"It's in the past," Petro said not meeting his eyes.

"If you're still trying to forget then it still matters."

Petro took a deep breath. "There was this girl, before I hooked up with Ohnaka. I grew up with her and we'd just figured out, well…" he trailed off sure the captain could fill in the blanks. "She was Tholothian. I didn't know she could get pregnant but she did and then she died. I didn't want to think about her."

"But you loved her?" Sloan's voice had become gentler. "You wanted to spend your life with her?"

"Sorta. I guess. No good thinking about it now."

"Kid…" Sloan shook his head. "I had no idea."

"It's not your life. You don't have to care."

"I care because the same thing happened to me. I had a girl, a baby. And then I woke up in a medcenter bed one day and I didn't have them anymore. I get it, more than anyone else here. And I want to help."

"You do? How?"

"I...don't really know," Sloan admitted. "But before I start thinking, I have to ask. How did you not know having sex led to babies? Where did you grow up that you don't know any of this?"

Petro knew he shouldn't tell him. Telling the wrong person was suicide, but all he felt in the Force from Captain Murphy was truth and sincerity, and he knew for the first time he'd found someone he could trust.

"Coruscant. Jedi Temple."

Sloan nearly choked on his own tongue. "You mean you're…" he hissed, "That kid could be?!"

"I don't know. I don't think it's genetic but it could be."

"Then...kriff kid, is she going to a midwife that'll run the scans?"

Petro's eyes went wide and they both ran into the pub but Fiona was already gone.

"What do we do?"

"Don't worry. I think I have a plan."


	54. Leave It to the Medical Professionals

**LEAVE IT TO THE MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS**

About a month before the _Ellie's Revenge_ made its fateful stop at Harkon Hall, one of their brushes with the Empire got just a _little_ too close.

They still took the entire shipment of more-or-less stolen goods and made sure no Imperial was left to tell the tale. But in doing so a few of the crew wound up on the wrong end of a blaster.

At first Sloan didn't think it was a big deal. They had medical supplies and could fashion rudimentary dressings. They could take care of this themselves.

He began to think otherwise when one man spiked a fever that confined him to his hammock and another's wound turned foul. Then Sloan took a crowbar to the crate of medicines and rifled through the pills and the bags of IV infusions. Cefazolin. Levofloxacin. Vancomycin. Somewhere among them was the medicine his crew members needed. If only Sloan knew a single thing about how to use them.

So after his foray into the cargo hold he called all hands and announced their newest mission: at the next port a group of his best men were to go ashore and bribe a doctor or nurse to come aboard and treat the injured. If they refused, then the men would blindfold and kidnap them.

"Where's our nearest port?"

"Blackhold!" The navigator called out.

Well, kriff. He hated stopping at the Hold but he wasn't sure if his men would last the journey to Harkon Hall.

Sloan waited nervously on the deck that night until he saw the figures of his crew wrangle a squirming, muttering woman up the gangplank with a burlap sack over her head.

"She's a nurse," Petro explained as the _Ellie's Revenge_ pulled out to sea. "I don't think her crew's gonna miss her, at least not for as long as we need her."

"Good work Petro," Sloan said and turned to the nurse, not like she could see him. "We're not going to hurt you ma'am. Some of us are in a bad way and we need your help to treat them. I promise, once they're stabilized we'll release you and you'll be well compensated for your time."

At the sound of his voice the nurse went completely still. Sloan chose to take it as a good sign.

"I'm going to take this off," he said, pulled the sack off her head, and immediately wished he hadn't.

Staring back at him was the furious face of Gretchen, former ship's nurse on the _Maiden's Heel_ and the woman whose quarters he'd often frequented to beg for hangover cures.

Gretchen spat the gag from her mouth.

"Sloan. Noah. Murphy."

"Someone get the patients ready!" Sloan ordered and dragged Gretchen to his cabin for a little privacy. "Gretchen, listen…"

"Get these binders off me!"

Sloan hurried to release her and the second her hands were free she smacked him across the face, hard.

"What the kriff are you doing?" She shouted. "Do you have any idea what we thought after the war? Any idea what Dalla thought? She was like your sister! You're letting her think you're dead?"

He rubbed his sore jaw. "Okay, I deserve that."

"You deserve _worse."_

"Look, I kriffed up and my kriffing up is the reason I can't tell Dalla I'm alive. But that can wait until when my guys aren't dying from infection." He grabbed a few bags of the IV drugs out of the crate and handed them to her. "Can you do anything with these?"

Gretchen read the labels and nodded. "I can do everything with these."

Some IV antibiotics and dressings he couldn't hope to explain later, Gretchen's work was done and she was ready to leave the _Ellie's Revenge_ detailed instructions on how to use their supplies. Sloan gathered her promised credits.

But when he tried to hand it over Gretchen just crossed her arms and stared him down.

"Dalla needs to know."

"She can't know. It's better for her if I'm dead. I ..." His voice dropped to a whisper. "She's happy now. I don't want to start anything for her."

"I don't believe in keeping things from her."

"No, but you do believe in patient privacy!" Sloan jumped on Gretchen's nursing values. "If you tell her I'm alive you'd have to explain that you were treating members of my crew, and that's a privacy violation!"

He didn't know the specifics of the law but he was apparently right. Gretchen glared at him, but she took the credits and left.

That hadn't been so long ago. Now, Sloan prayed his old friend would come through once again.

…

Doctor Niamh or Ms Niamh as some referred to her was retired. Well, mostly retired. Okay she came into the office every day to oversee the goings on of the midwives she had helped train to take her place at the Blackhold birthing center.

The fact was that she loved her job. She had seen two generations of the Blackwell family come in to the world. Except for Thias who'd come in during a storm while she was away from the island aaaand Ryon, the sweet little Twi'lek boy who had been adopted by Jamos and Shara's son Kason and his wife Rayala. They were able to be there for their son's birth and were able to take him home the same day. That's what was important.

Niamh loved delivering babies but she also adored watching the parents bond with the new little person she had assisted in bringing forth.

And that was all over now. She sighed. She was just getting too old to stand up for so long at a operating table or complicated drawn out delivery. Her back wouldn't take the strain. She was going to go back to her own island for a little deserved peace and quiet.

Blackhold isle was never quiet especially with all of the grandbabies who had been born in the last few years. Starting with dear Jak. Well, Niamh considered him a Blackwell grandbaby even if he did carry the name Bralykburn. He had his father and grandfather's infectious grin. And his mother and grandmother's compassionate spirit.

Why he had just come into her office all by himself a year ago when his youngest sister was on the way… "Ms Niamh is there something you can do to help my momma feel better. She's been throwing up again and it makes it hard for her to take care of Oron."

Aye, a very sweet boy, with an inquisitive mind and a desire to make everything better. They said he had already expressed an interest in becoming a doctor someday. Well, she would surely do what she could to encourage him. Maybe even write some inquiries or introduction letters for him when he was ready to go off to school.

That she could still do when she was resting with her feet up and a nice drink to sip. Is that what retirement was supposed to be?

Aye, Doctor Niamh was retired, in all but name, until Shara Blackwell commed her to tell her that another grandbaby was on the way.

It wasn't fair for Niamh to have a favorite patient. She had helped so many women over the years but Shara Blackwell was a special case. Shara had been unsure if she would ever be able to have children but she and Niamh and Lana had painstakingly researched every test imaginable to make sure that she could.

And she had. Niamh had been on hand to deliver all five of Shara's little ones. She remembered the procedure she'd performed for the grieving parents after their loss and the complications they had feared with Cornel.

Cornel. Now he was having one of his own. He had grown into a fine young man despite his worrisome birth and delays emotionally and cognitively. But he really was a wonder with building things and he had found his place as Ephraim Harkon's apprentice. Niamh remembered the mobile of miniature ships that Cornel had made for his first nephew. And Kayla had hung the beautiful piece of art above the cradle of each of her little ones.

Now that little Dalla Quay would soon be out of her crib and Kayla and Emoth were sure they were done having babies maybe they would pass the mobile back for Cornel's little one to enjoy.

Niamh stood with Shara on the dock as Cornel's ship came in to port. "Now she won't coming with him now." Shara explained. "Fiona will be staying back at Harkon Hall for a few weeks."

"It's a shame the young couple can't be together at a time like this." Niamh tutted. "He'll miss hearing the heartbeat for the first time and maybe even feeling those first kicks. You remember how Jamos was always so excited for that with your little ones. Made it feel more real to him, and like he was more a part of things."

"Oh this is very real." Shara worried. "I just hope he understands that."

The old midwife who had been around and seen a lot of things waved off the statement. "He understood enough to…"

But Shara cut her off and said softly. "We don't believe he did." Niamh's frown encouraged her to continue. "Fiona got herself into trouble and… from what Talia and Ephraim have told us… Cornel offered to take responsibility for she and the baby."

"I always knew he would grow into a kind and responsible young man." Niamh offered by way of a graceful answer.

Shara smiled and nodded her thanks. "He is. And we do hope for the best. Things did work out fine for Emoth and Kayla. They are as happy together as any married couple I've ever seen."

"They are indeed. And look they've brought the whole family down to welcome your boy home."

Oron looked to be having a bad day. He was sitting in the double stroller in front of Dalla Quay's carrier with a pained look on his face. But as soon as Jak bent to speak to him and point at the deck of the incoming ship he brightened and stood, yelling, "Uncle Corns! You're home!"

Kayla waved at Shara and Niamh and she and Emoth brought the family close to them. "I didn't think I was going to be able to get them out of the house. But I didn't think they'd want to miss this. They do love their Uncle Cornel." She had to remind them that there might be someone else to say hello to.

"Morning, Nana," Suza gave a polite little curtsy. She had been practicing.

"Hello, Ms Niamh." Jak nodded his head in a bow of respect.

Emoth stepped forward and hugged both of the ladies. "Momma, Ms Niamh, I'm glad you're here, too. We're all here to support Cornel. Sounds like he's going to need it."

Kayla gave her husband a shove. "What he means is, having a little experience in this area, we want Cornel and Fiona to know that we're here for them both. I'm glad you're here too Ms Niamh. You've taken wonderful care of me in all my pregnancies and I'm sure Fiona will appreciate that she's getting the best care possible."

…

Fiona did not.

Salt gods and every other god in the galaxy! As soon as she was out of Fiona's room Dr. Niamh slumped into a chair at the nurses' station and stared at her holoscreen for a solid thirty seconds before she could gather herself to document.

"Isn't she a piece of work?" Nurse Alayne asked from her own documenting station.

"You weren't kidding. She's completely impossible." Dr. Niamh made a habit of listening to her nurses but she'd decided to make her own decisions about Fiona's temperament instead of taking Alayne's at face value. Big mistake.

"Privacy laws are the only thing keeping me from telling Dalla about what a raging witch she is," Gretchen rolled her eyes.

"What would Dalla do about it?"

"Kick her out of the Hold?" Gretchen shrugged. "She could at least tell Shara."

Alayne and Niamh nodded agreement. Gretchen knew the Lady of the North best after being her ship's nurse for so many years, but they had all worked with her preparing for Ros and Noah's births. Dalla Bonteri did not abide senseless drama, nor did Shara Blackwell. The two of them together would be a force to be reckoned with.

"If only," Alayne sighed. "They'll figure it out soon enough. Until then…" She pulled a hidden bag of cookies from a drawer and tipped it first to Niamh, then to Gretchen.

Niamh took one. "We should stock up on these before her next appointment."

...

Gretchen wasn't even supposed to be in the kriffing office. Her domain was med-surg, not obstetrics, and she had vague memories of wanting nothing to do with her OB rotation during nursing school. The only reason she'd stepped into her least favorite specialty was, you guessed it, Sloan Murphy.

He'd shown up on her doorstep last night begging for her help. _"What?"_ she'd snarked. _"Are you here to kidnap me again?"_

 _"_ _N_ o _but I do need your help."_ He briefly explained the situation one of his crewmen had gotten into with Fiona Harkon. _"If the kid's like a Jedi then she can't sign up for that dumb breeding program!"_

 _"_ _So you expect me to run a midichlorian test on the sly and erase the results if they turn up elevated, which I will remind you is extremely illegal, and I'm still not allowed to tell Dalla anything?!"_

 _"_ _Aye."_

 _"_ _I hate you."_

She didn't mean it. If she had she wouldn't be here in Dr. Niamh's lab, running a midichlorian test on Fiona's unborn child and readying what she was going to tell Sloan Murphy. Besides being rude and impossible Fiona was all too willing to sign up for the Imperial breeding program. Gretchen snorted just recalling it. Not only would no self-respecting northerner sign up for such a thing, it was bound to be dangerous considering the family she was marrying into.

The test machine beeped and Gretchen checked the results. Negative. Thank the salt gods.

She couldn't savor the victory too long. One problem may have been solved but another was still looming. Privacy laws or no privacy laws, she was going to have a talk with Dalla.


	55. Ships That Go Sailing

**SHIPS THAT GO SAILING**

No one could have been any more surprised than Midshipperson Lana Blackwell herself how much she enjoyed serving aboard the _Storm Rider_. It had begun almost immediately to feel as much like home, as the Hold ever had.

There was the initial proving stage, of course. Was she just the Admiral's daughter or the Captain's baby sister? But the sea was in her blood and she showed them all early on that she was as capable as any other sailor onboard. She could swear better than most of them, too. All of that was done entirely on her own merit without First Mate Colin Kretash ever having to say a word in her defence.

He put her on the same crew rotation as his cousin Aidon, maybe to watch out for her? Maybe because they were just the same age and rank. Maybe the first mate thought she could teach him a thing or two. They had started out as rivals but that had months ago morphed into a sort of competitive friendship.

Aidon was determined to sit for his lieutenant's exams before he completed a full year at his current rank of midshipman, and though Lana couldn't have cared less about rising in the ranks, the academics came easily to her. She agreed to work alongside him until he achieved his goal.

They spent long hours together pouring over holos and charts, alone in the officers' mess or up in the main top looking at the stars. Then someone overheard the first mate saying that maybe he shouldn't have allowed them to work so closely together.

The jokes followed, that there was something more developing between the two of them than just professional comradery. There wasn't, of course. They were just friends. She didn't want any more than that, not after what happened with Chuck.

She started avoiding Aidon when they weren't on duty together. He'd been her one real friend since Nessa… not that she really blamed Nessa for what happened anymore. It wasn't her fault. That didn't change the fact that things had never quite been the same between the two girls after that.

She couldn't escape that either, now that her brother, the captain, had discovered that he had _feelings_ for Nessa Tandin. Well, this Blackwell did not have feelings for Aidon Kretash! And he didn't have feelings for her either. How could he? How could anyone?

…

Aidon threw his stylus on the table in frustration. It was no use. He could make stem nor stern of the kriffing equation he was supposed to be figuring out.

Lana could have solved it in an instant. She was brilliant and anytime she explained these things to him they made perfect sense. So why couldn't he do it on his own now?

Salt gods! He knew it wasn't just the studies. She was completely ignoring him and he didn't know why! He missed all the time they spent together reading, discussing, laughing…

He heard the laughter of some of the ordinary crew members outside of his cabin. "Would you all shut it?" He yelled out at them.

"Aye. Sorry, Sir," one of them called back, as they should. He was a junior officer.

Aidon tried to focus on the chart in front of him again but there was another burst of laughter and a whistle.

"You think it's really her?" He heard one of them say before he stood up from his desk and marched out to see what was up.

"Come on, now! I'm trying to study!"

There were guilty smiles all around as they made their apologies. One of them also seemed to be trying to hide the reason for their merriment, a small holo projector.

"What have you got there?" Aidon asked, nodding toward the object.

"What? This?" The sailor held up the device. "It's nothing really."

One of the other crewmen guffawed. "I bet the Midshipman would be real interested to see what you've got there."

Aidon impatiently grabbed for the unit and flicked it on. The image it displayed was a painting of a rather scantily clad young female holding the reins of a dalgo. In the next she was sitting astride the beast's back as it reared up. And in another she was leaning close to it, nose to nose, and petting the creature, affectionately.

"Ye don't think that looks like anybody we know, do ye, Sir?"

Aidon couldn't help but stare at the image a moment longer. He swallowed. But before he could snap the unit closed and tell off the men for possessing such a thing, the artist's muse herself came around the corner to witness the whole sordid affair.

Her face contorted at the perceived betrayal and her gaze found Aidon's. "I knew it. You're just like the rest of them."

She ran off before he could explain.

…

It took him longer than he would have thought to confiscate all the copies of the holo disk and the flimsi representations of the Dalgo Girl series paintings. The Midshipman's reminder of what would happen to the crewman in possession of such a thing if the captain were to find out about it, did a lot towards getting them to fork the things over. Finally Aidon was fairly sure that he had collected them all and he promised himself that he would destroy them as soon as he had the opportunity, even though there was the temptation to stare at the things himself.

With that settled he went to go and find her, to explain.

…

There was nothing to explain, in Lana's opinion. He was the one guy on the planet who she had thought she would never find staring at some slut on the back of a dalgo, and yet there he was.

She liked Aidon in spite of everything. She missed their talks, hearing him go on about his ambitions for advancement. He didn't just want it for himself. He wanted to be a good leader, someone people could look up to. He'd never be that if he spent his time looking at trashy holos.

She was glad to have some time alone in the officer's mess to fume over her own disappointment but even there she found his study materials still open on the table. She couldn't resist looking over the problems and she picked up the stylus to make a correction just as he entered the cabin.

"Peep show over?" She asked, barely glancing up at him.

"Do you even know who it was in those images?"

"No." She gave an exaggerated sigh. "I don't make it my business to keep up with who's the new eye candy."

"It was you, chirn head." He informed her. "I was trying to confiscate it because I didn't think it was right, those sailors staring at one of their junior officers like that."

"Me?" She had never posed for anything like that. Sure she had once asked Chuck if it was possible… She had been rather intoxicated at the time. But he had promised he wouldn't share anything that she hadn't agreed to.

"Well, I don't know for sure," Aidon went on, "I've never actually seen you ride a dalgo. Swimming with brylks, aye but…" he blushed, "I didn't want them to see you like that either."

"Like what?" She studied him.

"Not that the paintings weren't beautiful. I just…" He swallowed and then admitted, "I don't want to share that image of you with anyone."

Lana gave a little gasp. It was almost word for word what her grandmother Hadassah had recorded in her journal, spoken to her by Lana's grandfather Kason Rupingwood.

In that particular case, the conversation had led directly to the creation of Lana's mother. She had the fleeting thought that she might want to comm Nurse Alayne and ask how long that hypo was effective.

Aidon didn't want to move too fast and scare her away again. However, his gaze did flit to her lips for a second as if he would have very much liked to kiss her. Instead he smiled. "If we're speaking to each other again… We are speaking to each other again, aye?"

"Aye." She agreed.

"I could really use your help on those charts." He indicated the open texts on the table between them.

"Of course."

…

Aidon and Lana didn't pay much attention to what the rest of the crew or anyone else said about them behind their backs after that. She did occasionally wonder if he'd gotten rid of _all_ of the copies of the dalgo girl paintings. She also thought again about placing that comm to Nurse Alayne. There hadn't been any reason for it, yet. There were regulations about romantic relationships on board ships of the Northern Fleet.

They would be coming into port soon. The reason was to accommodate those wishing to take their rank advancement tests. Aidon was nervous and she didn't want to do anything to distract him. He asked her to quiz him in any spare moment they had together.

It wasn't till he was preparing to march down the gangplank to take the test that she allowed herself to think of anything else.

"Well, wish me luck. I couldn't have done any of this without you."

She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "You don't need luck. You're going to be amazing."

He grinned. "Can we continue that when this is over?"

"Aye." She beamed back at him.

"Where will I find you?" He asked. The outcome of the test didn't matter so much as long as he knew he would be seeing her after. "I assume you'll want to go up to the Hold and see your family."

"Not kriffing likely." She laughed. "I might run into my new sister-in-law. She was intolerable at the wedding and now she's about ready to pop."

"Where then?"

"I have someone I need to speak to and then I'll come and find you."

He frowned. "Should I be jealous?"

She bit her lip and shook her head. "No." Then she swatted his arm playfully. "You should focus on your exam and not let all our hard work go to waste."

…

He passed!

Aidon exited the testing center and immediately met his captain standing outside to pin his new insignia to his uniform.

Arkon clapped him on the shoulder when he was done. "I know you'd rather celebrate with a different Blackwell, but I'd like to buy you a drink."

Aidon grinned. "Thank you, Captain."

While they made their way to the pub Arkon spoke up again. "I know what you did for Lana, with those holos. Thank you." He saw Aidon smile a bit at his sister's name and continued. "But there will still be no romantic relations among my crew while on board my ship.

Aidon sobered. "Of course not, Sir."

"You notice I did say _on_ board my ship. I said nothing about your shore leave."

"Sir?"

Arkon didn't acknowledge it. "Just don't break her heart or I'll beat you back down to ordinary seaman."

"Aye, Sir." He couldn't wait to see Lana again!

Turned out he didn't have to wait long at all. They got to the pub just in time to see Lana and Nessa hugging and in tears in tears and…

"I'm so sorry," Lana sobbed. "It wasn't your fault."

"Of course I forgive you! I just made it worse steaming the package open…"

Arkon rolled his eyes. "I will never understand girls."


	56. Marlon and Noah, Double Trouble

**MARLON AND NOAH ARE THE NEW DOUBLE TROUBLE**

"Hey Marl!"

The younger Marlon Blackwell looked up from his coloring book to his cousin Noah's grinning face. It was the kind of grin that meant Noah had an idea, and Noah's ideas were always fun. Well, they were fun while they were happening. He and Noah always got in trouble after, but it was worth it.

"Aye?" He asked, sweeping the coloring book and crayons aside.

"Ros and Suza are readin' their holobooks."

"So?" Marlon snorted and grabbed the coloring book again. He didn't care what his girl cousins were doing. They were boring, and they were _girls._

"They're readin' their holobooks outside, up against the wall."

Marlon set the coloring book down for good. "The wall under that gutter?"

Noah nodded.

"Alright!" Marlon scrambled out of the chair and ran off with Noah. "Did ya make the snowballs?"

"Not yet! C'mon, let's go!"

…

Meanwhile, Lux Bonteri walked back from running errands, on the comm with his wife.

"So everything's taken care of?"

 _"_ _Aye, it is. Just took a little convincing."_ Dalla shrugged off the task.

"Dalla, they were trying to get us to sign up for the breeding program."

 _"_ _And it was nothing I couldn't handle."_

"Crushed a few egos, did you?" He grinned. "Do you know what the advisors call you when they think I can't hear?"

 _"_ _What, something besides 'Lux Bonteri's incredibly attractive wife'?"_

He laughed out loud. "'The Bogan.'"

 _"_ _The Bogan?"_ Dalla squawked.

Lux leaned against the wall to catch his breath, he was laughing so hard. "I wish I could see your face right now."

Dalla harrumphed. _"I prefer 'ruler of darkness', but I'll answer to Bogan."_

"Where are the kids, Bogan?"

 _"_ _Ros is out with Suza working on their Literature. I haven't seen Noah for a while, which probably should worry me."_

"He's more than likely with Marlon."

 _"_ _That's what worries me."_

"Aw come on, what could they have gotten up to since I left?

He was about to go on and ask if Dalla was up to spending some child-free time with him when he got home when a volley of snowballs dropped onto his head, knocking the comlink from his hands and all the happy thoughts from his mind.

"Osik!" A little voice cried from atop the wall. "Marl, run!"

He should have guessed. Lux wiped the slush out of his eyes and scooped up his fallen comlink. He could still hear Dalla's voice coming from the speakers: _"Lux, what was that? Are you okay? What's going on?"_

He shook the snow from his hair. "Dalla?"

 _"_ _Oh my salt gods, what just happened?"_

"I found Noah."

There was silence for a second, and then Dalla sighed. _"Which direction did they run?"_

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "I'm going to put on some dry clothes, and then we'll start looking."

…

"It was your father!" Marlon panted as he and Noah tore away from the scene of the crime. "We dropped the snow on your father!"

Noah looked around frantically. "What are we gonna do?"

"I dunno!" Noah was the one with the ideas, Marlon was the one who made them work.

They were running so fast they didn't see Fiona until they'd bowled into her. She'd already had her baby so the worst they did was make her spill a cup of water on her coat, but the way she screamed you'd have thought they'd killed her entire family.

The boys shared a look of utter panic for a second. Where could they go? _Who_ could they go to? Noah's parents were out of the question, and so were Marlon's probably because Noah's mother had Marlon's momma on speed dial. And Ros would snitch.

Well, that only left one person.

 _"_ _Miranda!"_ They yelled and took off in search of Marlon's twin.

…

Miranda Yanara Blackwell had been enjoying a quiet morning playing with the dolls her cousin Suza had passed down to her and fielding the occasional intrusion from her cousin Oron while he was looking for Marlon and Noah.

Usually she'd join forces with him and help Oron find the other boys so they all could play together, but today she was simply too occupied with her new-to-her dolls and all the outfits Suza and Aunt Kayla had sewed for them to bother. She stripped one of the dolls of its existing outfit and maneuvered a sparkly purple dress over its plastic head.

She managed to get one tiny shoe on the doll's foot when Oron's quarries blasted into her room.

"What're you doing here?" she asked, immediately suspicious of Marlon and Noah's antics. "Oron's looking for you."

"Miranda," Marlon panted. "You gotta hide us."

Miranda wished she hadn't heard that before. "From what, Marl?"

"Uncle Lux."

Miranda sighed and set the doll down, knowing she was going to get roped into whatever was going on here. "What did you do to Uncle Lux?"

Noah shuffled his feet. "We, uh...we dropped some snow on him."

"Snow?"

"It was an accident! We didn't know it was him!"

"'Randa please," Marlon begged. "Let us hide in here and I'll give you all my desserts for a week."

Miranda rolled her eyes. It was a good thing she really liked desserts. "Fine. You can hide in my closet as long as you promise not to touch anything."

"We won't!" The boys scrambled into her closet and squished in next to each other. "Thanks Miranda! You're the best."

She reluctantly put her new dolls away while the boys got themselves situated. No matter what they said, she knew eventually their curiosity would win out and they'd go through her stuff, if they didn't abandon the closet entirely before then. And when they got caught, she didn't want to get in trouble for being an accessory to the crime. Desserts were good, but they weren't face-the-wrath-of-Uncle-Lux good.

So Miranda hopped up and headed out of her room, where she could claim innocence when Noah and Marlon got caught. _What, they were hiding in my room? I don't know anything about that, Momma._

But there was more to the boys' story, and she knew it. They couldn't have dropped snowballs on Uncle Lux completely by accident, they had to be aiming at something. And the only person who had hair just like Uncle Lux, besides Noah himself, was Ros.

Miranda knew whose team she was on: the girls'. Ros and Suza were fun, they played with her and they gave her dolls. A choice between them and the boys was no choice at all.

"Suza!" She chirped a little too cheerily and skipped up to her girl cousins, who were working on their schoolwork. "Thanks for the dolls! I really like them."

"Sure Miranda," Suza said. "Good someone's enjoying them again. That's all I wanted."

Ros rolled her eyes. She (and Miranda) knew Suza gave away the dolls to make room for the "dress up clothes" she got when Aunt Kayla accidentally shrunk some of her dresses in the wash.

"I just came by to say thank you," she grinned.

"Better than the last visit we got." Ros pitched her voice into a mockery of her father's. _"Ros, Suza, have you seen Marlon and Noah?"_

Miranda feigned surprise. "Really? Uncle Lux is looking for Marlon and Noah?"

The bigger girls looked at Miranda and then each other.

Ros took the lead. "Miranda, what do you know?"

Miranda applauded herself on her punishment-free week of eating desserts. "Well, I actually just saw Marlon and Noah a minute ago…"

…

"Kora! Dalla!" Fiona stormed up to the two women just before they split up to look for their sons. "Do you see what your brats did?"

Assuming she meant the snow incident Kora jumped on the potential informant. "Do you know where they went?"

"I don't care about that." Fiona thrust her coat into a shocked Dalla's hands. "They ran into me and made me spill my drink. Look at this! It's ruined."

Dalla examined the coat and then gave the spot an experimental sniff. "It's just water. Any coat can stand a little water."

Fiona ignored her completely. "I want them punished!"

"Fiona, it was obviously an accident," Kora said. "They're kids and kids are clumsy. We'll ask them to apologize but we won't punish them for an accident that didn't cause any damage."

"Of course you won't," Fiona snapped and snatched the coat away from Dalla. "You're always making me into the bad guy! I'll just take care of it myself."

"Hey!" Kora bellowed after her. "If you touch my kid, you won't be able to fit that coat over your broken arms."

"And any violence directed toward a member of the royal family will be dealt with." Dalla glared. "Severely."

Fiona humphed away but Kora and Dalla knew she wouldn't follow through on her threat. Dalla however had discovered something else. She recognized the brand label on Fiona's coat. Lux had given her something similar for her birthday and it had set him back a tidy sum even for them. There was no way Cornel could have bought it for Fiona and she'd no credits of her own. Clearly this merited more investigation.

...

Marlon and Noah had managed to find a semi-comfortable position in the closet by shoving Miranda's clothes aside and sat in the dark trying to come up with a plan.

"Maybe we can stow away and go live with Grandpa Hugo," Marlon suggested.

 _Uncle Hugo would laugh if he heard we dropped snowballs on Father's head,_ Noah thought. _And he can talk to Mother and Aunt Kora if they get mad._ "Is his ship in harbor?"

"Nah, but I think _Chirn Hunter is."_

"Okay, so if we sneak into her cargo hold…"

The closet door opened and flooded the little room with light.

"Miranda?" Marlon asked "Is that you? Did you bring us dinner? We need some snacks we can take on the _Chirn Hunter._ "

The door opened a little more and the two boys found themselves staring past Miranda to the older girls standing behind her.

Noah's jaw dropped. "You _snitched!"_

"You're dead, Noah," Ros said.

"Ros!" Noah threw himself at his sister's feet and a split second later Marlon did the same. "Ros, you gotta help us! You can sneak us onto a ship and get us to Bralyk Keep or Harkon Hall or somewhere Father won't kill us. Please! I'll do whatever you want."

"Too late." This voice, though female, was definitely not Ros.

Noah and Marlon's heads lifted from the carpet to the source of the voice.

"H-hi, Momma."

"H-hi, Aunt Kora."

Kora lifted a comm to her lips. "Dalla? I've got them," she said, then snapped the device closed and dropped it into her pocket. "Marlon Hugo Blackwell, I've been looking for you all over!"

Marlon attempted an innocent grin. "Must've just missed you, Momma."

Kora wasn't to be fooled. She scooped him and his cousin off the floor and fixed them with a glare that knocked all hopes of getting out of this one from their heads. "Or maybe you were avoiding me, Dad, Uncle Lux and Aunt Dalla on purpose. Forward march, both of you!"


	57. The Wrong Brother

**THE WRONG BROTHER**

Unbelievable. Fiona stormed out of the Hold, clutching her coat tighter around herself. Admittedly the water had dried up without a trace, but it was the principle of the thing. Dalla and Kora should have punished their kids. If Fiona's son had done such a thing she would have punished him. Salt gods. She had a son!

Mason had been the only good thing to come out of the whole awful mess. Her and Cornel's wedding wasn't half the celebration it should have been. It was cheap with no glamorous guests or lavish gifts. Cornel had given her some trinket he'd made, a sailor's valentine which wouldn't fetch the price of a decent dinner. And then the birth was another disaster. Fiona still remembered her disappointment when that witch midwife announced the baby was a boy and the joy on Cornel's face when he held the dark-skinned squalling thing for the first time, so clearly not his own but he hadn't cared a bit. The second he left to show the child off to his family Fiona ensured she would never go through this ordeal again: she had the midwife perform a sterilization.

Thank the gods she had. Mace was cute, but he was annoying. He woke at all hours and commanded endless attention which everyone in the Hold was more than happy to lavish on him, but not on Fiona. It was no wonder she needed a little something for herself and now that she had the credits from the pirates, she could finally make that happen.

The coat had taken up most of her last payment but she had enough left over for a trip to the pub. So to the pub she went and sat herself down at the bar.

She should have been served immediately like she was at the pub back in Harkon Hall. But this waitress, a teenage girl with a nametag reading "Nessa," balked at Fiona's drink order.

"I'm not sure about this," she clutched her order pad. "You've just had a baby and the alcohol can pass to him through -."

Fiona rolled her eyes. Why in salt gods' halls did everyone assume she was breastfeeding, as if a noblewoman would stoop to the level of a common wetnurse? "The baby has plenty of formula," she snapped. "Now I ordered a drink."

Nessa jumped but she poured the rum all the same and slid it across the bar to Fiona's waiting hands. She took a sip and sighed. It had been a long nine months without this stuff. She didn't even care that it was middling quality at best. That could easily be resolved with her next drink.

If Nessa would give her one. The waitress kept glancing warily in her direction like she was waiting for her to fall off the barstool. She resisted the temptation to give her a piece of her mind and instead took a long sip staring Nessa in the face.

"Hey Ness!" A young man in an apron popped his head out of the kitchen. "Comm for you. _Storm Rider's_ on her way into port."

"She is?" Nessa perked up and brushed her hands on her apron. "Do you mind watching the bar a while? I told Arkon I would meet up with him when he came back."

"That's why I dropped by," the man took the order pad from her hands. "Go ahead!"

"Thank you!" Nessa hurried out the kitchen.

The minute Fiona heard the door shut she raised her glass to beckon the new bartender. "Another. Top shelf."

This one didn't bother her with stupid questions. Instead he did exactly like he was supposed to and filled her glass with the requested whiskey. This brand would eat away at her credits a little faster than the first, but she could deal with that. When was the next payment coming anyway? That Gretchen woman, her contact, told her to expect them once a month. That would place the next one about a week from now. She could make it til then, and Cornel would be happy to give her credits if she asked.

The bartender kept her glass full and Fiona's mind wandered while she drank. Sure Cornel would give her credits, but he couldn't give her anything else. After the initial romantic excitement of the proposal and wedding died down their relationship had turned dull. Cornel would rather spend time with Mason than alone with her, and when he had, well, she hoped the experience would improve with time. But if Cornel wasn't willing to work on it then who could blame her for meeting her needs elsewhere?

Maybe if that pirate came back into port, he'd been more than up for a little rekindle with her. Not like she was going to attract any man with _this_ figure though. That was probably why Cornel wouldn't sleep with her. When would her body bounce back even a little? She didn't mind if it didn't come back all the way. Some men liked their women with a few more curves. Most of the men seemed to like that Nessa, Arkon Blackwell sure did though Fiona had no idea why he'd lower himself to a pubkeep's daughter.

As if her thoughts had summoned him Arkon all but swaggered through the door. "Nessa, are you here? I'm home!"

 _Aye,_ Fiona thought while she looked him up and down. _Aye you are._

Buff, blond, confident smile, man in uniform… _Salt gods, I married the wrong Blackwell._

"Nessa stepped out," she said before the bartender could. "Why don't you sit here with me until she comes back?"

Arkon made his way to the chair completely oblivious to what she had planned. "How's your day been?"

 _Better now._ "I'm quite well. Barkeep, a drink for the captain."

Arkon furrowed his brow. Fiona wasn't normally so … giving.

"Well come on, drink!"

She watched him and once the glass was drained angled her chair toward his. "So, you've been lonely out at sea?"

"Aye, Nessa and I would comm but -."

Fiona jumped off her chair and crawled onto his lap. "Let me resolve that for you."

Arkon froze, the bartender stared in shock, and Maggy the whore stepped outside to place a comm to the Hold.

"Dal? Someone needs to send your cousin Cornel down to the pub to pick up his wife. _Right now."_

Back at the bar Arkon tried to let Fiona down gently. "Alright, you've had a little too much. Let's get you home to your husband and son."

She pouted at him and ran her fingers through his blond hair. "Awe but you're the one who needs me now, all alone in that cabin for months at a time and coming home to what? A waitress? You deserve better than that. How about a noble born lady?"

Then she kissed him just as Nessa Tandin walked down the stairs from the apartment she shared with her parents.

Nessa's joyful expression at seeing her love again melted into a look of horror. She gave a strangled cry and turned to run back up the stairs.

Arkon managed to push Fiona back and spat, "You are no lady!" He caught a flash of Nessa retreating up the stairs and called out, "Nessa, it's not what you think!"

He stood meaning to chase after her and Fiona slipped off his lap into an ungainly heap on the pub floor.

"What is this?" Cornel raced through the door trying to take in the situation.

Fiona giggled drunkenly and gave him a little wave while Arkon stepped over her and raced for the stairs. He looked back long enough to point and order his older brother, "You need to get a handle on her!"

Cornel, obviously uncomfortable with all the attention, crossed the room and held out his hand to help his wife to her feet. "Are you alright?" he asked softly and then over his shoulder he made the excuse, "My brother and I look alike. She was confused. It's okay. Let's go home now."

But she didn't move immediately to go. "I disgust you!" she crowed. "You watched me push that baby out of my body and now you don't even want to touch me."

Cornel looked at her, hurt and confused, himself. "No, I didn't want to hurt you. You worked so hard to have our baby. I wanted to give you time to rest and heal. I took care of Mason so you could recuperate."

"Why didn't you just say so?" She was coming around now, soothed by his words.

He was still very conscious of their audience. "I didn't want to bother you if you weren't ready."

Fiona smiled. "Well maybe I am ready."

"If you're ready, than I'm ready." He whispered and blushed.

"Really?" Tears came to her eyes. "Even though I'm still all out of shape and overweight?"

Cornel nodded. "I think you're strong and beautiful."

"Then I forgive you for neglecting me." She returned to her playful little smirk.

He pulled her into his arms.

"And if somebody is watching Mace, we don't have to go right back to the Hold. They've got rooms upstairs. We don't even have to worry about the soundproofing. I don't care if they all hear how much my husband loves me."


	58. Long May He Reign

**LONG MAY HE REIGN**

Lux almost wished the planethopper would never arrive in Iziz and what was waiting for him there. Up here in the sky he could distract himself with the holobook he'd brought, or with watching Ros and Dalla play a word game, or with trying to keep Noah safely buckled into his booster seat and entertained at the same time.

"Fatherrrr, I'm bored," the six-year-old whined, illustrating Lux's current struggle/distraction.

"Mother and Ros will make room for you with the game," Lux baited. "Or I have an idea - you and Ros could be a team and play against me and Mother."

Ros looked up from the game. "But he can't read."

If Noah's participation was in doubt, it was locked in now. "I can so read!"

"We know you can." Dalla maneuvered the game board so the boys could reach. "It's your turn."

Noah looked at Ros's tiles and then whispered loudly to his sister: "Hey Ros, you've got K. You can make 'kark.''"

"Noah Dominic Blackwell, who taught you that word?" But she knew. Dalla was going to have to interrogate her crew to find out what other bits of colorful language her son had picked up.

"We won't have an A anyway." Ros rolled her eyes at her brother's antics. "But we can make K...I...N...G."

Lux stared at the game board and the letters his daughter's tiny fingers had pushed together. Of all the words Ros could have come up with.

Under the table tray, Dalla took his hand and gave it a squeeze. "Good move, Ros. We'll have to see if we can beat that one."

He stalled as long as he could in the planethopper and then in the speeder which took them to the palace, gathering up nonexistent missing game tiles and Dalla's chemistry book and all the paraphernalia which came with traveling with young children, but eventually all the items had been picked up and Lux had to exit his safe haven and step onto the grounds.

Dalla hung back while Ros and Noah tore ahead through the familiar gardens. "How do you think we should tell them?"

Lux shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe...I think we should see him first. Maybe they're wrong. Maybe it isn't time."

She squeezed his hand again. "Aye. He should be in his rooms."

…

"Sire?"

Dendup stirred in the bed across the room. "Who's there?" he croaked.

"It's Lux and Dalla, sire."

The old man grinned as well as he could. "Lux and Dalla. Come where I can see you."

Lux steeled himself and crossed the room to the bed, clutching Dalla's hand like a lifeline. "How are you feeling?"

Dendup scoffed. "I'm old, my boy. Where are my great-grandchildren?"

"We decided to let them run off some energy before they came up," Dalla said. "They're terribly excited to see you."

He sighed. "I'm afraid I don't have any juice boxes. I didn't know you were coming."

"They don't care about juice boxes. They just want to see you." Lux's lip wobbled but maybe Dendup couldn't tell with his failing eyesight.

Dendup relaxed back into his bed, worn out from the exchange. "How big are they now?"

"Oh they're big." Dalla released Lux's hand and gave him a nod. "I'll go get them for you."

Once she'd left the room Dendup started talking. "I've contacted my goldsmiths, my builders. They're preparing your chambers and the throne room. Everything is in motion."

"Your Highness, no. It's not time for that," Lux whispered.

"Yes, it is. It's been time for that for a long time."

Lux shook his head. "We've no way of knowing how you might respond to your new medications —."

"My new medications only take away my pain," Dendup reached out to Lux with a trembling, veiny hand. "I knew this was coming, Lux. And it's a relief to an old man. I only wish I wasn't leaving such an awesome responsibility behind."

Lux forced a smile. If there was anything he could do to make Dendup's passing easier, he was going to do it. "I'll shoulder it. You've taught me well."

"Good," Dendup exhaled slowly.

Lux grabbed his hand in both his own and tried to hold back the sobs in his throat. "I love you, Grandfather."

Dendup squeezed back. "I love you too."

…

Lux didn't leave the room. He stayed in his chair by Dendup's bedside while Ros and Noah told their great-grandpa what they were learning and how excited they were to come and see him and how much they loved him. He stayed while advisors and "friends" came in to see the king and while the nurse took care of him. He stayed through dinner and late into the night when Dendup's orientation slipped away much like his eyesight had.

Dalla stirred from where she'd very nearly fallen asleep in her chair. "How is he?"

"He's talking about someone named Skelari," Lux said without facing her. "I think he means my grandfather."

Dalla closed her chemistry book. "Should I get the nurse?"

"No. He seems happy."

She came to stand behind him and rubbed his shoulders while they watched Dendup have his conversation with Skelari.

"Maybe he's dreaming," Lux said hopefully. "He sometimes talks in his sleep."

"Maybe." She didn't believe it but she wasn't about to shoot Lux's fantasy down. "It would be good for him to get some rest. How are you holding up?"

"Alright."

"Do you want me to get you something to eat? I promise I won't cook it."

He didn't even laugh at the joke. "I'm not hungry."

"You should still try to eat something." She resumed her massage. "I'll watch over him."

Dendup stirred and smiled in her direction, and for a second Dalla let herself believe that Lux was right.

"Mina," he whispered. "You brought Dane with you."

Dalla's hands stopped. Slowly she stepped away from Lux's chair and sat on the edge of Dendup's bed, hearing the voice of another dying king.

 _Melaana?_

"Get some sleep, Lux. It's going to be an important day tomorrow."

Lux shook his head. "You don't know that."

 _I'm sorry, Melaana._

"Yes I do."

Lux shakily rose from his seat and came to the other side of Dendup's bed.

"I can't leave him. I'm the only family he has left."

"Then we'll sit up with him together." She took Dendup's hand and then Lux's. "You shouldn't do this alone."

…

"Your Highness?"

Silence.

"Dalla, is he…?"

"Aye Lux, he is."

He sobbed. "Oh gods!"

...

The crown weighed on his brow. Lux didn't realize it was slipping until his wife adjusted it, tenderly pushing a stray piece of hair behind his ear.

"They're waiting for us." Dalla didn't lower her hand, instead choosing to cup his cheek.

"I don't know how to do this," he whispered. "I'm not sure if I can."

His wife nodded and the light caught her queen's circlet. She wore the crown with more confidence than Lux thought he ever would.

"You can do it," she promised. "You've represented the planet before."

"As a senator, not as a king! And even then, I was never sure what I was doing. I was so alone."

"You aren't alone anymore." She said maybe a little more forcefully than intended. "As long as I'm alive, you'll never be alone. Not ever."

Lux covered her hand with his own and tried to smile. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"I love you too."

She gave him a second to collect himself. A last second of being just two people named Lux and Dalla before they became something much more.

"Are you ready?" She released his cheek and lowered their intertwined hands.

"I'll never be." Lux squeezed her hand so hard it hurt. "But let's go."

She squeezed back and together the new King and Queen of Onderon stepped into Yolahn Square.

The white-clad stormtroopers stood out against the crowd like scar tissue, tissue Lux would have liked nothing more than to excise right then and there. That would have to wait for another day.

 _All you have to do is stand here,_ he told himself clutching Dalla's hand. _You were crowned inside. The hard part's over. You only have to let the people see you receive the — oh, kriff!_

"We forgot the blessing," Lux whispered. "Nobody commed Bremon Kira to bend the knee to us. There are going to be rumors."

Dalla couldn't be blamed. She was a northerner and she hadn't been born at the time of Dendup's coronation. But how had he forgotten?

"It's okay," Dalla whispered. "Just stay with me."

He did. He didn't know how he found the strength to fix the regal expression to his face. Thank the gods his children weren't here to see him like this.

Suddenly there was a rush of wind as a ruping flew over their heads and circled over the square. The stormtroopers swiftly cocked their blasters and took aim.

"Stand down!" Lux ordered, his voice strong and unwavering as he swelled with hope. "Let him pass."

The ruping touched down at the far side of the square and its rider dismounted. He was nothing more than a gray-haired speck from the steps of the palace but every man, woman, and child present knew instantly who he was.

The crowd parted as Bremon Kira made his way slowly to the steps of the palace and slowly, deliberately climbed them.

He stood before Lux and Dalla in silence before falling to a low, kneeling bow.

A hush fell over the square. This was not the respectful bob of a blood king passing the title to the warden. This was total deference of a subject to his king and queen.

After a long moment Bremon straightened but kept his head bowed. Maybe it was part of the show, maybe it was so the Imperials couldn't read his lips as he whispered "She wanted to be here."

There was no way Lux or Dalla could respond and it didn't look like he expected them to. As he turned to leave he looked to the nobility standing off to the side and nodded to Shara.

Shara held her head high and returned the nod.

With the crowd distracted by Bremon, Dalla risked a glance in her aunt's direction and Shara rewarded her with a small smile that said everything she couldn't.


	59. The Ball

**THE BALL**

"All these years and it's barely changed." Kason looked around at the palace walls on the way back from the nursery where he and Ray had just dropped off Ryon to spend the evening with this second cousins. "I remember some of these decorations from the Clone War, when I was a prisoner."

"Were they up here for the first ball you attended? You haven't told me much about it." Rayala attempted to distract her husband from the past.

"Aye, I think so. I wasn't here for long though. Thias and I got into a fight over a girl."

"Ah, yes. That would be Sanya Kira or Soniee Ordo or whatever she's going by now?"

"The very one. Gods, that was stupid. I wish you'd been there to see the party. There was no imperial presence, just Onderonians and their guests. And if you were there, I wouldn't have dreamed of fighting over another woman."

"I doubt Thias would have either, if my sister was around."

"So they couldn't make it after all?" It was rather last-minute to be asking such questions but Kase hadn't heard anything specific.

Ray nodded. "Thias is taking over the running of the Hold for a while, and everyone who was here for the coronation is already on a planethopper to reinforce him. Dalla wanted to make sure the north was in good hands while she's busy here." She lowered her voice. "Can't really blame her. What with...everyone here."

Kason nodded. The palace was crawling with Imperials there to "celebrate" Lux and Dalla's coronation. He would have been wary too in his cousin's shoes.

There was one of them, a blue-skinned Chiss in an officer's uniform, staring up at the picture of the princess which had captivated Kase's attention as a prisoner. He looked familiar; perhaps they'd seen him on a news report?

Before Kason could place him, the door to the main ballroom opened before them and they were lost in the celebration.

…

Not everyone in the ballroom was in a celebratory mood. Bernard felt like it was just another day at the office to his wife Janel, the way she was planning and plotting at their table.

"What about the minister, Renald? Surely you have some kind of pull -."

"I don't have _anything,"_ Bernard sighed for the hundredth time since they'd gotten there. "Janel, I was an art student. Sanjay never exposed me to politics or the business of court."

"He had to have said something."

"The closest he ever got was asking me to spend time with Dalla during a hypothetical lesson."

Janel jumped on it. "Did you?"

"No."

She made a disgusted sound and pressed her hands to her temples. "Do you have anything I can work with?"

"Can we not do this tonight" He begged. "Let's just enjoy the party."

"When all these people are here?" Janel looked at him like he was crazy. "There has to be something. Maybe someone would recognize you from simply being in the palace."

Bernard stood. "I'm going to get a drink."

Ignoring Janel's protests he made his way through the crowd toward the bar and grabbed a glass of champagne. He understood his wife wanted to network, but lately her social climbing had become an obsession.

A female voice interrupted his attempt to knock back his champagne. "Feel like you're surrounded by wolves?"

"You too?" If anyone was surrounded by wolves this evening it was her. The crown on her head marked Dalla as an instant target.

"For the most part I'm avoiding them. Keeping an eye on my husband." She looked around him to locate Lux. "Why are they after you?"

"My wife seems to think I'm a boring date."

Dalla laughed. "Oh no."

"Sometimes it's hard to keep up with her." He glanced back in the general direction of his table and sure enough, Janel was all but shoving her way through the crowd. She must have noticed he was talking to the queen.

Dalla spotted her and noticed the single-minded determination in her eyes. "It appears that way."

Bernard nodded woefully.

She held out a hand. "Are art teachers permitted to dance?"

"Yes, they are." The musicians were playing an Onderonian folk dance, something which could be danced with a friend or a family member or anyone standing close by. Bernard allowed himself to relax for the first time since he and Janel had arrived. He wasn't being interrogated or assaulted by old memories. He only had to worry about not stepping on Dalla's toes.

The second the dance was over and he'd had a chance to thank his partner for the honor, Janel approached them.

"There you are, love." She smiled at Bernard like she'd just found him and then seamlessly swept into a curtsy before Dalla. "Your grace."

"You're Bernard's wife?" Dalla gestured for her to rise.

"I am. Janel Wallace." Instantly she was the picture of refinement and grace.

Bernard resisted the urge to sigh. It was obvious Dalla wasn't fooled by Janel's performance.

"Janel, her grace and I met _very briefly_ after the war." Maybe if he impressed on her how minor he was in Dalla's life she would back down.

She didn't. "Really? Well that's not something you soon forget."

"I wanted to say hello before I had to conduct some more official business." Dalla smiled graciously at them before she spotted something and her face changed. "Excuse me."

Bernard looked over his shoulder and saw what she saw. Lux Bonteri was speaking with an Imperial officer, suddenly looking very pale and sweaty. Immediately he stepped out of Dalla's way to clear a path to her husband.

"Surely the politics can wait for just a minute," Janel moved to cut her off, smile still perfectly affixed.

It fell seconds after Dalla's gracious mask slipped and Bernard saw again the furious girl he'd met in the pub all those years ago.

"I do not have time for you," she growled in a voice that could freeze magma. "Now _excuse me."_

With that she gave a curt nod of thanks to Bernard and speedwalked through the hole he cleared. Janel stared after her openmouthed.

"I think it's time for us to go home," he was certainly ready to put this evening behind him.

She didn't look at him. "I can't believe this is happening."

Was she talking about the disaster evening or Dalla's dismissal and her inability to flatter anyone in high society? Bernard honestly wasn't sure. At least Dalla had gotten to her quarry. She took her husband's arm and looked at him with such warmth and support in her eyes, there was no doubt to how much they loved each other. When was the last time it had been that way with him and Janel? Had it ever been?

Someone behind him rapped their glass and the room turned to them: a Chiss in an Imperial officer's uniform.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he announced, gesturing to the dance floor. "A dance for the king and queen.

"Dr. Wallace," As the floor cleared the stranger approached. "I've recently purchased a quantity of artwork and was told that you were the instructor of the artist. Tell me more about this academy I've heard such a glowing report of."

Janel jumped in. "Oh yes it is a fabulous institution, producing only the finest artists. I'm sure we could arrange a tour for you if you like, Mr…"

"Grand Admiral Thrawn." He didn't extend a hand to either of the Wallaces, not that they much cared. Janel was too drawn up in his attention and his cool demeanor gave Bernard the creeps. "Unfortunately I won't have the time for a tour but would like to know more about your institution. Who founded it?"

"It was founded by an anonymous donor," Bernard lied. The credit transfer he'd gotten the morning of Sanjay Rash's death was hardly anonymous and more of an inheritance than a donation. "We mainly study impressionists; Balthazar is a focus. May I ask which student produced your new pieces?"

"I don't recall his name." Thrawn directed his attention to the decorations in the ballroom. "Tell me, does Balthazar's student Rash have a place in your curriculum, or did his reign render him too scandalous to be included?"

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"You must have heard the rumors surrounding Rash and your new queen. How he happened upon her during the siege and, no longer able to claim her as his bride …" his voice dropped to a whisper. "Well, he ensured no man ever would."

"It's not true!" The defense popped out of Bernard's mouth unbidden. He'd heard the rumors all right, and they were ridiculous. "Lord Rash wouldn't have … he would _never_ … he wasn't capable of doing such a thing!" He had a sister. He was a perfect gentleman with the models. And setting aside all the muck and mire of his attempted marriage he worried about Dalla's welfare. He wouldn't have done something so brutal, so horrific and hurtful to a young woman.

"I suppose the only ones who know for sure would be the people involved." Thrawn's lip curled the slightest bit and the subject was good as dropped. "Thank you for the information regarding the school, Mrs. Wallace. I'll keep it in the back of my mind."

…

"Thank you for the save," Lux whispered as he and Dalla left the official behind. "I don't know what happened."

"That's what I'm here for." She squeezed his hand. "Are you feeling a little better?"

"I am, thank you."

Someone rapped on a glass and across the room and called out "Ladies and gentlemen, a dance for the king and queen."

Dalla leaned into Lux's ear as the other guests backed away. "Lux, we don't have to. We can tell them I'm tired or not feeling well."

"I want to." As the music began Lux took a deep breath and led her by the hand to the center of the dance floor. "I would never turn down a dance with the most beautiful woman in the room."

"Are you sure you don't need to sit down?"

"I don't." He swept into a low bow before her and kissed her knuckles. "May I have this dance?"

She brought his hand to her lips and returned the kiss. "Of course you may."

With her gesture Lux rose into position and the dance began.

It had been so long since they'd danced together and the stakes had never been higher. Still their every step was sure as long as they kept their eyes on each other.

Looking at Dalla in her ball gown with the music swelling around them, Lux could almost pretend they were back at their wedding dancing for the first time as husband and wife. How nervous they'd been, terrified they were making a mistake. If only he'd known then that all it took to settle his racing thoughts was a squeeze of her hand.

He lifted her by the waist and turned the both of them.

"Everyone's watching." Had they noticed his arms shaking with the lift? Did they already think him weak?

"Let them," she whispered. "Just look at me."

He did and when she emerged from a turn he caught her gaze once again, looking for him. She was keeping her eyes on him too, searching for the same assurance she told him to find in herself.

Lux pulled her close to him and gave her a small adoring smile.

 _You can do this, Bonteri._ And he would help Dalla feel at ease too tonight.

"Was that step from our wedding dance? Because this song isn't anything like our wedding song."

"You mean the song where Emoth and Cade kept yelling 'bum bum bum' during the chorus?" Dalla returned his smile. "No, it's not."

"You've got to admit the dance is a little similar, though." Here he took a step back and outstretched his hand. _"Hands...touching hands."_

She placed her palm against his and shook her head teasingly. "I should have never let you pick that song."

"You love it. Don't even try to deny it."

"I love that song because I love you." The song came to its end and she sank into a curtsy. "I will always love you and your questionable taste in music."

He bowed to her. "Your mollymauk song is worse."

The last strains of string music faded, bringing them back to the reality of the situation.

"We can do this," Dalla promised him or herself or both of them as the crowd began to creep onto the edges of the dance floor. "As long as we stick together, we can do anything."

Looking at her he really believed it and just for a second Lux felt a rush of energy like he could conquer the universe as long as she was by his side.

It lasted only until the same snakelike voice which had called for the dance spoke again. "Your Majesties."

He wished he didn't know who it was but affixed a welcoming expression to his face. "Grand Admiral Thrawn, so glad you were able to make it."

"I wouldn't have missed an opportunity to see such a storied place." He looked around though there was no doubt in Lux's mind that he'd already seen everything. "It truly is an artistic marvel."

"The palace is filled with history. If you'd like we could arrange a tour for you."

"I've already observed much of it. I couldn't help but notice some of the decorations have been up since your predecessor was in power."

"Well we've only taken up residence here yesterday," Dalla replied. "We haven't much of a chance to redecorate."

"Oh I didn't mean that one," Thrawn looked her up and down with a ghost of a smile. "The other, who ruled during the war. I would think you wouldn't want to be reminded of that time."

Lux stiffened and Dalla matched Thrawn's thin smile. "I do like to be reminded of our victory over him."

"A victory you both were instrumental in delivering, I hear."

"We did our part, and we look forward to further serving Onderon." Lux hoped that would be the end of it.

Thrawn didn't take his eyes from Dalla. "Still, it can't be easy to live here, with all these memories."

She didn't flinch. "I manage. I have a very supportive husband."

"It appears you do."

What did Thrawn want? He never did anything unless he knew it would benefit him, and Lux didn't see any reason for him to change his ways now. While his mind raced he came up with some mostly-meaningless jabber to stall the admiral. "Can we count on your visiting again, Grand Admiral?"

"No, I'm afraid duty calls at the conclusion of this event." Thrawn regarded each of them in turn, almost like he was sizing them up. "A pleasure to meet both of you. I foresee your rule will be an eventful one."

Lux was about to bid him a relieved goodbye but Thrawn leaned into Dalla's ear. "That's a beautiful necklace, your highness. I hope you weren't planning to slip one of its crystals into my glass."

Dalla's hand thoughtlessly went to her throat and that chilly half-smile returned to Thrawn's face.

"Good evening to both of you," he said and faded into the crowd.

This time it was Dalla's turn to grab Lux's hand for support. "He knows."

If it was anyone else Lux would have wondered how they figured it out. Dalla had made the necklace herself, spent hours over a bubbling pot measuring and gauging the temperature to create the deadly crystals. Only Lux knew of her chosen weapon.

"He came to sniff out our secrets, the bastard. He must have doubted the rumors about you and Sanjay and wondered what else we were hiding."

"If he knows what's in this necklace, then what else does he suspect? Could the others be in danger?"

"I don't know." Lux narrowed his eyes at Thrawn's shrinking figure. "But I'd wager he knows much, much more than he lets on."

…

"Well, that doesn't look good." Kason muttered as he watched Thrawn walk away.

"I'm sure Dalla and Lux have it under control," Rayala patted his arm soothingly. "Worst case scenario we can talk to them after the party. Let's enjoy ourselves for a few more hours at least."

"Excuse me?" A young imperial officer approached them, nervously wringing his cap in his hands. "I couldn't help but notice you two earlier. I wanted to ask how you two … met."

Kason grinned. He liked to tell the story of how he and Rayala met. "We met in Iziz to do volunteer work."

"Oh that's nice." The officer looked rather sheepish for a second and then blurted out. "So did the initial meeting happen on the net?"

"You mean a dating site?" Rayala shook her head with a little laugh. "Oh, no. I could never figure out one of those."

"You work through a brick and mortar service then?"

Kason sputtered. "Service?"

"Which one was it?" The officer's voice dropped to a whisper. "I never have any luck with them; the ones I try never have what I want. And who would I ask for if I wanted to hire her specific-."

Kason's fist cut the rest of his sentence off. He was primed to tackle the man and continue doling out his punishment when someone stopped his follow-up punch in midair.

Kason followed the hand to a dark maroon sleeve, to the face of Bernard Wallace.

"Let's not make a scene," he said and guided Kason's hand to his side. "Officer, I believe it's high time you were on your way."

The Imperial scuttered away like some insect and Bernard started to escort Kason and Rayala out of the ballroom. "Wait in the hallway for your cousin. I'll notify her."

"Sorry professor."

"Go before my wife sees you." He whispered. "She'll tell all the wrong people."

Rayala grabbed Kason's other hand and pulled him into the hallway with a nod to their unexpected savior. They ducked into a room off to the side to avoid any accidental intrusions.

"Kason," she whispered. "What were you -?"

"Aye Kason, what was it?" Dalla barged in with Lux on her heels and wasted no time before tearing into her cousin. "What were you thinking striking an Imperial officer in public? Do you really think word of this won't get out? If you don't you're an idiot and if you do you're an enemy."

"I lost my temper. He called Rayala a→"

"What? A whore?" Dalla scoffed. "Worse things have been said about your mother, and your sister-in-law, and myself. You're a member of the royal family now, get used to hearing insults and lies!"

"Well we can't fix it now can we?" He said testily and not wanting to talk to Dalla anymore, went for the more sympathetic party. "Lux, what do we do?"

No answer. Lux lay slumped in a chair, finally passed out from stress.

Dalla sighed. "We'll figure something out. Rayala, comm Cybele and ask her how to wake him up."


	60. Chuck Strikes Back

**CHUCK STRIKES BACK**

His dalgo girl series of paintings had been a critical success. They had made his name famous in art circles all over the inner rim and collectors clamored for him to produce more works featuring the enigmatic young female rider. He'd have to paint his muse from memory now however, because she was off on some kriffing boat surrounded by brothers, her admiral father and her queen of the planet cousin.

He'd made a name for himself without the help of instructors or schools and no thanks to the Blackwells and all their kin. There had to be some way he could take them down a notch. His blue skinned patron seemed more than happy to help him out there. And there might be a way to do away with another old adversary as well.

He leaned against the wall of the old art academy and watched Mrs. Bernard Wallace exit the doors of the administration wing. She fumbled with the stack of docs in her arms and turned to lock up before she headed home.

Chuck rushed towards her. "Here let me help you with those." He caught the docs before they could spill out over the ground.

"Oh thank you!" She accomplished setting the locking mechanism and then turned to retrieve her load. "You don't know how I appreciate an extra pair of hands today. If only my husband would consent to get us a droid for this sort of thing. But he hates them." She gave an aggravated little laugh and then looked up at the young man who wasn't immediately handing back the stack.

"Why don't you allow me to carry them for you? It really is no trouble." He smiled down at her.

"Oh well, yes," she brightened at his chivalry. "It isn't far. We live here on the campus."

"Yes, I know." He turned in the direction she was already headed without being instructed.

"You know?" She lengthened her stride to keep up with him. "Have we met?"

"Not formally," he slowed to her pace and then deliberately a bit slower so that they could talk now that he had her attention. "I was a student at the academy."

"Well then, you've come back to visit with my husband, your professor?"

"No," he stopped walking and carefully laced his words with a dose of self-pity. "He's the reason I _was_ a student and am not any longer."

He could tell that the ploy worked when her eyes filled with concern and she laid a hand on his arm. "I am so sorry. I believe I do remember you."

Her gaze went to the bent bridge of his nose where it had been broken by the pub keeper's daughter. At the time he hadn't been able to afford to have it fixed properly. After the sale of his more current works, and his deal with his patron, he might have gone to the med center to set it right. However, it was for exactly this purpose that the old battle wound came in handy.

"You were the one who was treated so abominably by those northerners and then produced that stunning series of the girl with the dalgo."

"Yes, that was me." He nodded humbly and then shook his head. "It was a difference of artistic opinion. All I wanted to do was portray the symbolic spirit of Onderon and what we have to offer the Galaxy… the Empire if you will."

"I completely understand." He could see behind the mask of pity in her expression to the calculating mind. "But you did find someone sympathetic to your views?" She asked.

"I did, a patron who I believe you might have had the opportunity to meet?"

She glanced again at his broken nose and couldn't hide a slight grimace, thinking of the queen with a similar disfigurement at whose coronation the meeting had taken place. "I believe I did. He was a blue skinned gentleman, an Imperial Grand Admiral?"

She managed to keep her tone level but her lust for the power and position that Chiss exemplified was palpable.

"The very one." Chuck kept his own expression of victory in check. "He seems to really understand where I'm coming from, what I want to accomplish."

He juggled the docs he was carrying for her into one arm so he could have a hand free. "He sees so much more than some of these professors who…" Chuck reached out and gently pushed a stray lock of her hair behind her ear, "... couldn't see a work of art if it was standing right in front of them."

…

When she got home Bernard was shut up in his office. She never bothered him while he was working, never had an interest to, but something in her conversation with Chuck pushed her to barge in.

"Janel?" Bernard scrambled to conceal what he'd been working on but her eyes caught it for a split second. It was unmistakably a holo likeness of Dalla Bonteri.

"What are you working on?"

"Nothing important. What is it?"

Janel wouldn't let it go. "It looked awfully like that woman you were so obsessed with painting when we first met."

"This isn't a painting. There are holos of the queen everywhere."

 _But not everyone keeps one at their desk._ She burned with shame and anger. "I...see." Bernard turned back to his work and Janel swallowed her fury. "I forgot something at the market. You need to watch Sandor until I get back."

"Sure, see you later." He didn't even turn around.

After the door shut behind her Bernard uncovered his project. Dalla's likeness stared up at him with the name Greer Murphy stamped under her picture.

He set the finished passport in the pile with the others. He knew he'd been distant the past few weeks while he was working on his project for the royal family, but Janel would understand if the day came they had to use his forgeries.

Across town Chuck answered his apartment door immediately after Janel knocked. "Janel, what an unexpected delight."

"You were right, about so many things." She pushed her way past him and into his living room. "He has me right in front of him and still he wants _her!"_

"By 'her' you mean the so-called queen?" Chuck locked the door.

"How did you know?"

"I don't know what your husband told you about their history, probably that they met once or twice? But I doubt he told you about his gallery of early works. Almost all of them feature a girl who looks suspiciously like Dalla Bonteri. How often would they have had to meet for her to model for those paintings?"

Janel's jaw set and he went on. "She must have been so grateful that someone thought her beautiful, a girl with a broken face and a broken reputation. I've always wondered what she would have been willing to do to repay him. Almost anything, I'd imagine."

Janel's face had gone bright red, her hands clenched into fists.

"And you, with so much more natural beauty than any queen, never even asked to model?"

He let the lie hang in the air. Whatever happened next, it would be Janel's move.

When she turned around all outward display of her jealousy had disappeared. Instead she crossed the living room with a dancer's step and a single-minded look in her eye. "Blind men tend not to reach very high. But you seem to be a little more far-sighted."

"I am," Chuck took her into his arms as she approached. "The question is what you want to do with your existing blind man."

Janel took his hands from her waist and replaced them somewhere else entirely. "Kriff him."

 _Ironic words,_ Chuck thought as they stumbled toward his bed.

…

"Mother look!" Ros called from across the garden. She was holding out a piece of fish she'd saved from her lunch to a mollymauk perched on one of the benches and the bird was eating out of her hand.

"I see you Ros. Remember it's a wild animal." Ros gave her the typical tween _I'm only half listening to you, mom_ thumbs up and Dalla went back to deadheading her oleander. She had no idea why there was a mollymauk this far south and away from the sea, but this particular bird seemed to be in no rush to go. He hovered over her and her family like a watchman and her children had even started calling it "Mother's Guardian Angel."

"Your grace?"

Petyr, one of her and Lux's two advisors, stood at the end of the planter with a sheaf of flimsi in his hand.

"I'm sorry to disturb you in your garden," he said. "This should only take a few minutes."

"What is it?" Dalla peeled off her gardening gloves. She knew approaching her out here instead of in her office was a calculated choice. What was Petyr trying to pull over her now?

"Some flimsiwork for your daughter."

The mollymauk screeched and Dalla ripped the documents out of Petyr's hands so fast she gave him a flimsi cut. She scanned them "Enrollment documents for the Imperial Academy?!"

From the split second of hesitation she knew Petyr hadn't expected her to read them. Letting your Imperial snake advisors think you were a fool had its advantages. "It's one of the finest schools in the galaxy. Just think of the opportunities it would provide for Roisin's future."

"I'm well aware of the education this institution would provide my daughter. Lux and I do not plan on sending her or our son to any outside schools."

"Your grace, if I may," Petyr barged on without leaving her time to tell him he may not, "Your and your husband's education predates our galaxy's great governmental overhaul. In order to have a ruler properly equipped to navigate Imperial politics they must be educated by Imperial facilities. There simply is no other way."

"No," Dalla muttered as it became clear what she'd have to do. "There doesn't seem to be any other way to deal with this."

"I have a stylus," Petyr reached into his pocket with a ghost of a smile.

"I won't need it." Dalla held up the documents and deftly tore them down the center.

"What are -?"

 _"_ _Guards!"_

The guards charged from their posts and surrounded her and Petyr, a small number ensuring Ros was safe.

"Advisor, your insight had been appreciated but is no longer needed. You will be escorted to your home from here. Your personal items will be sent over later."

"Your grace -."

"Guards, take him."

Petyr may have been willing to mess with her but not with half a dozen fully armed militiamen. Dalla didn't breathe again until she saw them remove him from the gardens.

"Mother?" She turned around and Ros and the mollymauk were right behind her, the bird's plumage puffed up defensively.

"It's okay Ros. It's been taken care of."

"What was he trying to do?"

"Nothing," Dalla lied and hugged her close. She really didn't want to let go but circumstances forced her hand. "Go get your father. I need to speak with him."

"Okay," Ros glanced suspiciously over her shoulder but she went off anyway.

Once she was gone Dalla ignored the oleander in favor of her deadliest plants. She wasn't foolish enough to think she could get away with firing the advisor who'd all but been assigned to her by the Empire. Petyr had to be terminated. Permanently.

...

They stood facing each other across the holo table, the epitome of clandestine lovers. Of course it didn't matter a bit if she faked her climax or if he was imagining being with someone far younger, someone who, looking back on it, he should have taken the full opportunity to corrupt. Ah well, that ship had sailed and now Janel and Chuck were in this together, body and soul.

They weren't alone at the moment however, and the way they were staring at each other was beginning to make their fellow conspirators uncomfortable. Petyr the ex-royal advisor cleared his throat. While the current advisor, Renald shuffled his feet. "So why are we here?"

"You're about to find out." Chuck activated the holoprojector.

Grand Admiral Thrawn's image sprung up above the holotable. He took in the conspirators around the table with a calculating eye and settled on Janel. _"Mrs. Wallace. We're glad to have someone as loyal to the Empire as you here today."_

"The pleasure is all mine." Janel's heart raced with the thrill of being involved in something so powerful.

Thrawn bestowed upon her a ghost of a smile before he turned to the Petyr. _"Advisor, I didn't see Roisin Bonteri's name on the Academy roster this morning."_

"I tried," Petyr groused and told the admiral about Dalla tearing up the docs and firing him. "She's never had the gall to do something like this."

 _"_ _She always has, you simply bought her deception."_ Clearly Thrawn had not.

"What about the king?" Janel recalled Dalla's near sprint across the ballroom floor to reach Lux. "Could he be the weaker link?"

"No way," Renald shook his head. "They've been pulling off this deception together for years. I can't get anything past him."

Chuck stroked his chin. "If you can't work with either one of them, then maybe we should step up our plans."

"You mean …?" Janel asked.

Thrawn nodded. _"I believe it's time to advance to that step."_

"It won't be easy. I can't get into the palace so you'll have to do it alone." Petyr said more to Renald than the rest of them. "We can't take out both at once."

"I'll do him first and then move on to her."

 _"_ _Mrs. Wallace, your husband seems close to the royals. Do you believe he'll cause any trouble?"_

"He has a soft spot for them" _especially for her_ "But I don't think he'd ever go so far as to defy the Empire on their behalf."

 _"_ _I wouldn't be so sure. Keep watch over him, and keep me apprised of the situation as you proceed."_

...

Dalla wished she didn't know exactly where she was when she opened her eyes and found herself staring straight at an easel.

"Oh, no."

She looked frantically for something to use as a weapon and came up empty on that front, but she certainly found Sanjay. Sitting in a chair about a foot from her so he could see her easel, like they were friends or something.

"Thank the gods, you're here." He sighed - she'd be crazy if she believed it relief - and grabbed her shoulder. "You're in -."

"No!" she screeched and tried to yank away, but hit the unyielding back of the chair.

"What?" He just then seemed to notice her terror. "No, Dalla, you're okay. I'm not going to hurt you."

"You say that every time!" Dream Sanjay usually didn't talk this much but when he did that was his favorite line. Dalla finally wrenched her shoulder free.

"Because I'm not!" Sanjay shook his head and then changed his tune. "I know you don't like me, but you need to listen. You're in terrible danger!"

She almost laughed. "Since when do you—?"

"Leave Iziz. Take Lux and your children and —."

"Don't you dare mention my children!"

Sanjay lunged out of his own chair and grabbed both her arms, forcing her to look at him.

"You can hate me and scream at me all you want tomorrow, but right now you need to run. _Leave Iziz!_ They're coming to kill you all!"

Dalla struggled hard, but it was like she was being held down by an invisible force. "Get off me!"

"Listen to me!" He shook her. _"I'm trying to save your life!"_

 _"_ _Lux, help!"_

The scream snapped Sanjay out of his mission and he released her.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'll go. Just please, leave. Save yourself and your family." And then he and the studio disappeared.

Dalla came to in her husband's arms shaking like a leaf.

"Salt gods, are you alright?" Lux stammered. "You screamed my name and then you started thrashing. I almost thought you were having a seizure!"

"I'm fine." She rested her head against his shoulder. "I don't want to talk about it. Let's get some sleep."

 _Leave Iziz._

Even as she tried to sleep she heard Sanjay say it in her head.

 _They're coming to kill you._


	61. Escape From Iziz

**ESCAPE FROM IZIZ**

"Your Highness," Lux's advisor entered the throne room with a sweeping bow.

Lux wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to the formality. Even after two years it seemed too stiff, too stately when applied to him. "Yes, Renald?"

Renald straightened. "There's an urgent matter, sire."

"Regarding what?" Lux turned away from the window he'd been looking out.

"The Empire."

 _When isn't it the Empire?_ Lux thought. "What is it this time?"

Call him crazy, but did Renald look more and more nervous as Lux approached? "They're concerned with Onderon's utility to the whole under present conditions."

"What present conditions? It's the middle of the summer, all production is at —."

His sentence stopped cold when he saw the flash of durasteel and Renald grabbed him and pressed a knife to his throat.

"Present _leadership,_ you mean." Lux thrust his leg up as if to kneel the traitor in the groin, but missed.

"Be still and I'll be quick with your family," Renald grunted. "I know where the artery is."

"Too bad." Lux struck fast and with practiced accuracy and the traitor's eyes went wide.

"I know where the heart is."

He pulled his dagger free and stepped back, allowing the body to fall to the floor. More out of habit than conscious thought he wiped off the blade and placed it back into the sheath in his boot.

His advisor had just tried to kill him. He was working for the Empire, and Lux had just killed him in self-defense.

But his first conscious thought wasn't about what had just transpired. It was _Oh gods oh gods oh gods, my kids my kids my kids._

Lux yanked his comm unit out of his pocket and frantically dialed Dalla's frequency.

"Dalla, where are you and the kids?"

 _"_ _We're in our rooms. What's going on?"_

"There's been an incident in the throne room. I need you to get the kids into traveling clothes and bring them to the antechamber. Don't bring them into the actual throne room. And Dalla, _be on guard."_

 _"_ _What happened in the throne room?"_

Lux hadn't taken his eyes off the body. "Are you still my person?"

Bless his wife's heart, she didn't even hesitate. _"I will always be your person."_

Thank the gods for that woman.

 _"_ _It's happened, hasn't it?"_

"Aye, it has."

…

"It was him?" Dalla said after she'd shut the throne room door securely behind her.

"Not so loud," Lux straightened from where he was trying to contain the blood.

Dalla hurried over. "He put on a good act, I'll give him credit for that. How long ago did this happen?"

"Just before I commed you."

"And are you hurt?" She looked him up and down for any injury.

"No, I'm fine but we won't be for much longer if we don't cover this up and get out of the city."

"Right, right." She took a step back. "Well he's been on the rug the whole time. Could we just wrap him in that and stick him in a service closet?"

"The blood's soaked through. I think it's already stained the tile."

"Luckily for us, I brought peroxide." Dalla pulled the bottle from the bag she'd set clear of the blood.

"Good. What else is in there?"

"Clean clothes for us and all the flimsi towels I could find."

"Pass them over here." Lux took the towels and started to mop up what he could.

"Throw them into the rug when you're done." Dalla ignored the towels in favor of grabbing the edge of the rug. "Here, grab the other end. We can roll him up, like a sushi roll."

"Yep, the blood definitely soaked through."

"Roll it over a few times so it doesn't drip. Do you see any solid bits?"

"No," they finished rolling and Lux rocked back onto his haunches. "The tile's stained and I don't think the peroxide will do much. Do you think that other rug is big enough to hide it?"

"Good thinking. I'll get it."

While Dalla covered the bloodstain Lux looked around for a solution to the next looming issue.

"Where are we going to put this?"

…

The family raced through the streets of Iziz dressed as commoners, leaving behind a crown, a throne, and a body stuffed behind a planter on the throne room balcony.

Kason, Rayala, and little Ryon were waiting for them at the docks, where the _Southern Whore's_ crew hurried to raise the black sails.

While the city lights faded behind them, Lux fires up his comlink and punched in a secure frequency.

"Korkie, it's Lux," he said. "Winter is coming."

…

Across the city Bernard stared in shock as his wife completed her comm with the Imperial official.

"Janel, what are you doing?" He asked as soon as she'd hung up. "They just shut down the art school and you're agreeing to work for them? They're dangerous! What if they decide we're too much of a nuisance to keep around?"

"They won't if we remain loyal to the Empire." Janel gave him a long-suffering look. "Working in the Imperial Academy is the best way to stay in their good graces and get something out of it. They reward those who help them. Surely Sandor will be allowed to attend the academy when he's older."

Bernard's eyes boggled. "They know I'm loyal to the king. They tried to murder the king -"

"Loyalties change all the time."

"-And his entire family. His _children,_ Janel. How could you trust these people with Sandor's education?"

"Don't be ridiculous Bernard -."

"I will never send my son to their academy!"

Janel startled but quickly recovered. "I'm thinking of his future."

"A future as what?"

"As someone who's someone in this galaxy!" She shouted. "Everything I've done, I did for him to be that!"

Bernard froze. "What do you mean, everything you've done?"

Janel glared at him.

"You couldn't … you didn't have anything to do with what happened in the palace today." He knew the answer even as he spoke.

"I eliminated what was holding us back."

Her tone disturbed Bernard more than he'd admit but he wasn't ready to face it yet. "I'm going to bed. We'll talk about this later."

Janel stormed off to their bedroom first and slammed the door. Bernard sighed. The couch it was.

He didn't think sleep would be as easy as it was, but in light of the exhausting day he'd had it wasn't long before he was well and out on the couch. And it was there the dreams found him.

 _He was back in Sanjay's studio, surrounded by the scent of paints and oils and watching his mentor demonstrate a particularly difficult technique. Before the comfortable feeling could even sink in, Sanjay turned around and placed an ink-stained hand on Bernard's shoulder._

 _"_ _You need to leave," he said. "Your wife has become something you can't allow Sandor to be controlled by. Leave now and don't look back. Dalla will help you. But son, don't let Janel take Sandor down the path my mother took me."_

 _Sanjay squeezed his shoulder. "You've made me very proud, son. You've done everything I hoped for you. Now, do what I couldn't. Save the family you have left."_

He woke with a start and the knowledge of what to do, even if it was the most terrifying thing he had to do in his life. But Sanjay had never steered him wrong before, and he wouldn't steer him wrong with his last message.

Quietly as he could manage Bernard roused Sandor from bed and gripped the boy's hand tightly. As they made their way down the street he dug his comlink out of his pocket and with shaking fingers, dialed Dalla Blackwell's comm frequency.

She answered on the last possible ring but didn't say anything. With the day she'd had Bernard didn't blame her.

"Dalla, I need that favor." There was no time for pleasantries. "My wife … is not the woman I married. She's placed us all in danger, and I can't abide what she's done.

"I don't know what you can or will manage, but my son and I will be waiting at the place we met after the ball. I don't think anyone will be looking for us there. And … I hope what I told you about the tunnels and the back streets helped you get out safely."

He could hear Dalla's breath through the comlink and prayed for her to respond.

 _"_ _It saved our lives,"_ she confirmed. _"We'll send what we can. Sit tight and wait for another comm"_

…

The ex-advisor stayed in his home while he waited for his partner to carry out the order.

Petyr wasn't worried. Renald was swift and strong, and their plan was foolproof. The royal family trusted him. They wouldn't think twice about him showing up unannounced with "urgent news," and within a standard minute he'd have cut their throats and left them dead on the floor.

A waste of talent, if you asked him, but a necessary one. Even if they got rid of the parents and sent the children to the best academies the Empire had to offer, Roisin and Noah were too much like their parents. Too headstrong and clever to accept the Empire's authority and abandon the treasonous ideas their parents had fed them since birth. Petyr shouldn't have let them stay home as long as they had, but their parents had always kept them close enough no one could get to them. And when he pressed the issue with Lux's little wife, she'd grown fangs and come down on him like a ton of bricks.

She was the reason he was an _ex_ -advisor. The mental image of her and her husband with throats slit warmed his heart. _Should have taken my advice when you had the chance._

Well, all that was over now. The moment Renald sent word the deed was done, Petyr would be back in the palace as much more than an advisor.

There was a knock and before he could get up an envelope was shoved under the door. _Finally!_ Renald may have chosen an unorthodox method of delivery, but there was something to be said for flimsi, the ultimate in untraceable communications.

He picked up the delivery, a palace envelope with his name written in block print. It had been delivered through the regular post. Points for leaving no trace.

Petyr popped the seal - kriff, some of the adhesive stuck to his fingers - and removed the letter itself. Like the accompanying envelope it was on heavy off-white flimsi. That was odd. This didn't look like Renald's stationery, or anyone else's at the palace. Had they bought from an office supply store just for this purpose? That might be overkill. He was just going to burn the message when he was done reading it anyway.

He unfolded the letter and nearly dropped it.

It contained no words, only a line drawing of a poppy. The dead queen's poppies. The ones she'd been tending in the gardens when he came to her with the flimsiwork to enroll her daughter in the Imperial academy…

Black spots converged on his vision and he blinked to clear them. Kriff, they wouldn't go away. And why was he so dizzy?

Petyr dropped the letter in sudden realization but it was too late. He collapsed to the floor in a heap, his eyelids growing heavier by the second.

He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. He could only lay there and stare at the drawing.

The sharp lines blurred and warped in his fading vision while he tried and failed to draw breath, changing from a poppy to the rose of House Bonteri.

 _Bonteri bitch._

His lungs stopped.

 _I should have killed you when I had the chance_


	62. Congratulations

**CONGRATULATIONS**

You have invented a new kind of stupid.

A "damage you can never undo," kind of stupid.

An "open all the cages in the zoo," kind of stupid.

"Truly, you didn't think this through?" kind of stupid!

…

Jedha was Korkie's idea. He'd proposed a pilgrimage to the holy city for them both to see the shrines, talk to the Guardians of the Whills, and investigate what the planet had to offer in the ways of the Force and the lore of the Jedi. And Soniee, knowing this was the closest thing to a vacation they were ever going to get, enthusiastically agreed.

"Won't it be nice, not having to worry about looking suspicious?" she asked as she fastened her coat around herself. "We'll be just a couple of many pilgrims."

"Two normal people, doing normal things and living a normal life for a change?" He grinned. "I could get used to it."

"Do you have any ideas to what exactly we should be looking for?"

He shook his head. "Jedha's connection to the force is well-documented in general, but it's quite light on specifics. My hope is to flesh out our understanding a little more."

"Well I think that's something we can definitely do without arousing suspicion."

"Maybe have a little extra time to ourselves?"

She nodded. "I don't recall the last time we were on a proper date. Maybe we could go out for caf?"

"After the shrines? That sounds wonderful." Korkie finished his own bundling and lowered the boarding ramp. "Ready to go?"

They disembarked ready to begin their pilgrimage as well as a much-needed rest but that plan derailed as soon as Soniee stepped onto the Jedha soil. Instantly the Force overwhelmed her: waves of conflict and violence, Stormtroopers and hooded rebels exchanging fire in marketplaces, civilians and Guardians of the Whills caught in the crossfire. And at the center of all the carnage was… "Saw."

"What?" Korkie stopped.

"He's here." Soniee found the center in the storm and the sensations quieted down. "He's in this city."

Korkie looked torn. On one hand he would like to instantly clear out from anywhere Saw Gerrera and his brutal band had put up stakes. On the other he knew his wife had unfinished business with the man. "Should we -?"

"I need to talk to him."

As much as he would have liked he knew she didn't mean over the comm. "Alright. We can surely find a lead and then we'll approach him."

"Not we." She shook her head. "I need to do this alone."

"Alone? You know what he's capable of. He tried to kill Dalla. At least let me come along in case you need help."

 _"_ _Cyare,"_ Soniee sighed. "Really, I can take care of myself. But I'll let you walk me there."

…

He couldn't hide from her, and apparently neither she from him. Two of Saw's people met her at the mouth of the caves he called base.

Korkie made one last attempt to dissuade her. "Soniee…"

"I'll be fine. If I'm not back by sunset, comm Senator Organa."

He wasn't happy about it but he hung back all the same as Saw's soldiers escorted her away. They didn't touch her, clearly an order from their leader. Was it a sign he wanted to talk to her in peace or that he simply wanted to have her torment all to himself? No, it couldn't. She could tell through the force that he meant her no harm, at least not now.

She made a mental map of the way through the tunnels just in case she had to make a quick exit. Maybe her escorts thought she was finalizing it when she entered the final chamber. Only she and Saw knew the truth.

The man sitting atop the ramshackle throne did not look anything like the Saw Gerrera she'd left behind on Onderon. His beard had grown out long and unkempt, his lower body encased in some droid-like contraption, and most concerning his eyes danced manically.

"Nya," he gasped. "My Nya came back to me."

"Your Nya? I don't even know who you are." That wasn't entirely true. He may not look anything like the man she had… loved? But he still felt like Sawyer through the Force. His passion, his determination, his feelings for her, were all evident.

"Don't you?" He looked torn between getting off the throne and maintaining his superior position. "We've always understood each other better than anyone."

"I didn't understand what you were capable of doing to your friends."

"You've been talking to the Bonteris. What I did, I did to protect my people."

"You were protecting them from nothing. Not everyone who isn't you is a threat! Some of them are just trying to help in their own ways."

"Like that Mando you were married to before? The pacifist who almost killed you with his whelp, said you were dead to him? You could have had a family with me. I would have given you sons and daughters."

"Didn't you have a daughter the last time you were on Onderon?" Soniee countered. "Where'd you pick her up? And where is she now? Did you just dispose of her when parenting got too hard? Leave her to be cut apart like the Harkon girl? What makes you think that I would ever in any Galaxy want to have a family with you?"

"Why in any galaxy would you want to have a family with any other man over me? I loved you. I showed you who you really were. I would have taken care of you and never left you. That ... Mando was nothing but a kriffing -!"

 _"_ _Korkie_ is a brave, kind man who has done more to protect me than you ever did." Soniee knew she was treading down a path dangerously close to one that had ended in attempted strangulation, but she was confident in her ability to protect herself. "You have kept things from me and lied to me but he never has. He is a thousand times the man you are and I'm proud to call him my husband."

Saw glared. "I'd hoped Dalla was lying about you, but it turns out she wasn't."

"You're right, she wasn't. You've been lying to yourself all these years, building people into some fantasy and then refusing to believe reality when it stares you in the face."

"Then what about the reality of the Empire? They won't be stopped by -."

"Oh, spare me. You saw how the rebellion on Onderon was won. You fought, yes, but you also used diplomacy to gather others to your side."

"Diplomacy has failed us. I refuse to throw my people into something I know won't -."

"Soniee!" Korkie shouted and slid into the chamber. "Lux just commed. The Empire sent out an assassination order for the entire royal family."

"Are they -?" Surely she would have sensed if something had happened to her friends.

"Lux and Dalla cut their way out of the palace. They're escaping north but it's only a matter of time before the Hold -."

"This is what diplomacy gets you!" Saw called triumphantly. "They lived by it and because they didn't stand up, they'll die by it."

"They won't just die," Korkie countered. "They may have just died in the palace but now, the Empire will torture them for their disobedience and they will die long, slow deaths filled with unimaginable pain."

"They had their chance to do what was right and they brushed it aside," he shrugged. "They're just getting what they deserve."

"The _children?"_ Korkie advanced steaming with rage. "If you would allow the Empire to torture children to death, then you are a monster!"

"Can you handle a monster?" Saw stalked off his throne, accepting Korkie's nonexistent challenge.

 _"_ _Saw!"_ Soniee extended her hand and the white-hot tendrils of force lightning shot from her fingers and enveloped Saw's body.

Saw collapsed to the floor stwitching and screaming in pain. The other partisans charged into the chamber in response to his distress but didn't do anything. Were they waiting for an order? Or were they simply too scared to challenge a force user?

"Soniee that's enough." Korkie stepped in. "This isn't—."

"It's the only way to get through to him." She intensified the blast. "Violence is the _only_ thing he understands."

After a long moment Soniee stopped and let the last bits of lightning to fizzle out across Saw's frame.

"Lux and Dalla will not die at all," she announced. "They're not going to die because you're going to help us get them out."

Saw gasped for breath and for a second Soniee worried she'd fried something essential. Just for a second. "I'll never -."

She zapped him again.

"Yes, you will."

The partisans bristled for the order but it never came. Saw glared at her and at Korkie before he growled "Fine."

"Good," Soniee fixed him with one last, solid glare. "I'll comm you when the time comes."

Saw nodded and Soniee and Korkie swept out of the cave.

"You got the comm," she whispered as they hurried out of the caves and back to the landing platform. "What exactly did Lux say?"

"He said 'winter is coming.'" Korkie repeated. "I didn't know what that meant so I asked him to elaborate. Were they Saw's house words?"

"No. _Winter is coming_ was the code phrase that the royals had escaped Iziz and need emergent planetary evacuation." She closed her eyes and sighed. "Saw's house words were _we will remind them._ The thought was that the Gerreras would always remind Onderon of who they are. But it looks like others will always be reminding them."


	63. Life is But a Dream

**LIFE IS BUT A DREAM**

Lana stood at the rail with her brother Arkon looking at the docks of Iziz. They both knew this was most likely the last time they would ever see the city.

"Just a little longer?" She pleaded with him. "There may still be someone who wants to get out."

"Who?" he complained. "We've got the artist and his kid aboard. Ray said Myat and Chi'ann already took a transport to Pantora and all of Lux's officials have either sided with the empire or set sail or…" He didn't want to think about what the soldiers had done when they had come to take over the government. What he did want to think about, Lana knew, was her best friend who was waiting for him back at Blackhold. She knew the youngest of her big brothers and Nessa Tandin had promised to set a date for their wedding as soon as they returned from this voyage.

Lana was happy for them, not to mention the fact that she was hoping a wedding might encourage Lieutenant Aidon Kretash to think similar thoughts about their own future. Maybe she could even conspire with her brother and best friend to toss the net their direction. But still… "Five standard minutes?" she tried once more.

"No." He decided. "It's time to get back home."

Captain Arkon Blackwell gave the command and his sister obeyed with a frown but without further complaint, "Aye, Captain."

The mollymauk circling overhead agreed with Arkon even if Lana didn't. The bird arrived at the same time as the artist Bernard and his son, almost like their escort. It hadn't left since and had gotten progressively more agitated the longer they stayed in harbor.

"Raise the gangplank!" Arkon called out. "We're going home."

As the crew began to carry out his order there was a shriek from the docks "Wait, wait! I have something for the lordlings!"

Arkon and Colin hurried to the rail for the source of the sound. A red-hair woman was racing down the docks clutching an armful of books.

Colin raised an eyebrow. "Should we?"

Arkon didn't know why but… "Lower the gangplank for her. Once she's on, we're leaving."

"What do we do if she's Imperial?"

Arkon shrugged. "Looks like she can swim."

When the woman's feet hit the deck the first thing Colin did was take away her books and ensure there was nothing rigged to explode or track them. When he was done, he rolled back on his heels, confused. "It's flimsi."

"It's Grandmother Emma Flint's genealogy research," the woman scoffed. "I'm Werda Flint and she gifted it to me upon her death. I figured the lordlings would like to have it."

"We would." Arkon said. "Glad to make your acquaintance Miss Flint, but there's no time to wait around. Crew, hoist the anchor. We're going back to the Hold."

…

"Gretchen, I don't know where we're going and I don't know how we'll get there, but -."

"But you're going to need a nurse when you do," Gretchen already knew what her former captain had come to talk to her about.

"Exactly." Dalla stifled a yawn and powered onward. "There are likely going to be injuries in the escape and we're going to need all the medical personnel we can get."

"Then it's a good thing you've got Cybele." Gretchen shrugged. "You know as well as anyone there will be people who need me here too."

"You want to stay?"

"Cybele's grown up a lot from her clinic days. I'm sure she can handle whatever you throw at her."

"She hasn't done mass casualty." Dalla grasped at straws. "Sure she's done a lot but she hasn't done that."

"No, but I have. Twice. And that's why I need to stay here to manage what's bound to be a third mass casualty incident." She sat beside Dalla. "I know you know that too."

Dalla nodded. "It was worth a try. I trust you. With Sloan gone I've sailed with you longer than anyone else."

Gretchen sighed and rolled her eyes. "Aye, Sloan..."

"I wish you would come with us."

"I wish that too. But I can't leave these people who need me."

Dalla understood. She almost told Gretchen as much but she was foiled by a long yawn.

Gretchen twigged to it: "You haven't slept. How long?" When Dalla didn't respond that was all the answer she needed. "Since you left Iziz? That was three days ago!"

"The Empire's on our heels! What if they'd caught up while I was sleeping?"

"What if they come now and you haven't slept for three days?" The nurse pulled her former captain to her feet. "Go home and go to bed."

"Gretchen, really…"

"Go to bed. That's an order." Gretchen's nurse voice softened. "And it might be the last one I ever give you, so please follow it."

Dalla's eyes filled with tears and she threw her arms around Gretchen.

"I'm going to miss you."

Gretchen hugged her back. "I'm going to miss you too."

...

Dalla's head hit the pillow and next thing she knew she was standing on the deck of a ship, the wind in her hair and the sun beating down on her face. That was wrong. It never got this warm in the north.

"Dalla?"

That voice didn't belong in the north either.

She turned around. Sanjay stood a few meters away, looking terribly scared but terribly hopeful.

They watched each other a while, each gauging the other's reaction.

"I'm not being greeted by screams this time?" He asked.

"It's really you? I'm not having another nightmare?"

Sanjay relaxed. "It's me. I'm here and please believe me when I say I'm not here to torment you."

"Was it you tormenting me before? Did you try to -." Dalla's throat clenched at the very thought of what happened in her dreams.

"No!" He furiously shook his head. "That was all your imagination. I've only come to visit you a few times, and all of those times were in my studio. I don't know if you remember any of them."

"I remember the last one. You tried to warn me about the assassination attempt."

He nodded like it would answer all her questions.

Not even close. His knowledge of future events could be explained away but there was more that needed to be answered. "How are you here, with me, in this place?" If it even was a real place. The impossible weather, the incorrect dimensions of the ship and the idyllic glow all pointed to it being his creation. But that was impossible. Surely he didn't have the power to simply _create_ a vision and bring her into it; the only people Dalla could think of who could were Soniee and Ahsoka and …

She took a step back and Sanjay just smiled.

"You're...? No way!"

"Believe me, I was the last to expect it," he laughed.

Sanjay Rash, force-sensitive. Dalla couldn't hold back her own laughter at the thought.

He looked much more relieved now the secret was out. "Does that answer your questions?"

"Aye, it does."

"Good." He dithered a minute before changing the subject. "I brought you here to thank you."

"For evacuating Bernard? That was the least we could do. He saved our lives, telling us about the tunnels and the back streets." Another thought came to her. "You helped too. He learned the routes from you."

"Don't give me credit, he figured out most of it by himself. But even with his knowledge he could never have evaded his wife and the Empire forever. If you hadn't sent your cousin's ship after him he would have been lost. And the child he named after me would be lost." He took a deep breath. "But that's not the only thing I came to thank you for. I never got the chance to tell you how much it meant, your staying with me."

What could she say to that? There was no way for her to know how much it meant.

"I was bound for Dxun's fire before you buried me. You and Shara brought me to the salt gods' halls, and because of that I had the chance to learn what I was. I got to meet my niece, I got to see my sister again, and I had a chance to make things right." He extended his hand. "I will never stop owing you for what you did for me. Thank you."

Dalla took the hand. "It's I who should be thanking you."

"You?" He looked to her in befuddlement. "What in the galaxy do you have to thank me for? Trying to force you to marry me?"

"No, you're still on the hook for that. But thank you for helping me not to hate you. Thank you for showing me there was more to you than what I knew. And thank you for trying to help me even if I screamed horrible things at you."

He shook his head. "Which you did."

"As far as I'm concerned, we're more than even."

Sanjay's face lit up and they shook.

"I don't know how long I can stay," Dalla admitted. "I only slept because I had to, but they need my help. The more I sleep the more time is wasted that the Empire can catch up to us."

"You have time," he assured her and smirked. "There may have been an incident with their launch craft and a tree falling across the landing pad."

"You didn't."

"I'll always watch out for you, and for Lux, and your children, and Shara, and Bernard and Sandor," he promised. "In fact I'll be doing a lot more than watching soon."

Her smile turned to confusion and he clarified: "I'm coming back, Dalla. We all are."


	64. Jenny of Oldstones

**JENNY OF OLDSTONES**

"Don't touch that light switch, Oron," Kayla said a little too frantically. Her son's hand retracted from the offending object and she calmed. "It's midsummer. We're keeping all the electric lights off and using brylk oil lanterns, just like in the old days."

"That's salt and light. And in the old days they weren't in the dungeon," Suza moped in the pale light.

Shara tried to make a positive. "What a wonderful idea, Suza. Let's all pretend it's salt and light." She beaconed to her grandchildren and grand nieces and nephews to gather around her. "What's your favorite part of salt and light, Jak?"

He was growing into such a caring and insightful young man and he understood the need for the distraction just now. He pulled his baby sister onto his lap and smiled around at his other siblings and cousins. "I like when Nana and Granddaddy tell us the old stories about the year of the big snow storm."

"You mean the one about when Uncle Thias got born?" Noah asked. He and Marlon Hugo both were chafing under the order to remain in the old tunnels under their home, after the initial novelty of staying in the place where prisoners were once kept before they were marched out and down the sea stairs. But someone had mentioned salt and light, and salt and light meant presents so their attention was momentarily peiked.

"Not that one!" Thias himself laughed. "We've heard it a million times."

"Well, I haven't," Werda Flint spoke up with a grin.

Behind her like a personal guard Colin Kretash stood with his arms crossed over his chest. He'd been keeping a close eye on her since she boarded the _Storm Rider_ in Iziz harbor but there were those who guessed that his interest in the genealogist had warmed from distrust to affection.

Jamos stood and put his hand on his wife's shoulder. "The story starts a long time before that blizard of a salt and light."

"Aye. How many times did ye propose to her before she finally agreed?" Hugo Bralykburn asked with a laugh. His granddaughter Miranda had crawled up onto his lap. She would never admit how frightened she was to her cousins but she felt safe with Grandpapa.

Jamos ignored his old enemy and looked into Shara's eyes. "The first time was right after we met, right after that first big catch."

"The second was at my baptism," Dalla recited, not really paying attention.

Ephraim and Talia and Truman had only just arrived in the safety of the bunker but they joined right in the conversation, "Wasn't the third proposal after you gave her the cog?"

There were greetings and exclamations of how glad everyone was that the newcomers were safe.

"No, the third was after the big storm." Hugo corrected. He'd never forget that night but he didn't blame the couple like he once had for not coming to the rescue of his first wife and son.

"I thought that was the fourth," Cade called out as he snagged his son's collar to prevent Marlon Hugo and Noah from trying to make a break for somewhere more interesting. Lux likewise prevented his own son's escape.

Nessa looked up at her fiance and smiled. "The fourth was after they were caught up at Momma's and my Father's wedding."

Marlon Sr. made a sound and a sign to Kora who was his ever present interpreter.

"He says, the fifth was when Lana told him that she was pregnant with Thias," she squeezed his hand and he nodded.

Shara picked up the story again. "And the sixth was when we were alone together in that cabin…"

Whistles and tooka calls filled the underground space along with laughter and cheers as Jamos bent to kiss his wife of thirty-seven years.

"But in the end it wasn't dad who proposed at all," Kason got them all back to the culmination of the tale. He wrapped his arm around Rayala, who in turn gave him an affectionate hug.

"She asked him." Kayla gave a dreamy sigh and so did her daughter Suza.

"It was the fourth night of salt and light…" Shara narrated.

Thias rolled his eyes. "Here it comes." And Cybele swatted him playfully.

"Lana was in labor but she wasn't ready to tell anyone yet."

A whimper came from the other side of the room as Marlon remembered his dear wife and Kora bent down to whisper something to him before she nodded for Shara to continue.

"But eventually she had to tell us and I had to step in to deliver Thias," she continued. "It was scary for a while but he was born healthy and when I stepped out…"

"Then the rest is history." Jamos grinned his little boy grin.

There was a moment of silence and then Nessa spoke. "It sounds wonderful, being married with all your family in the light of the salt gods. I don't know if Arkon and I will have that."

"Well why not? We're all here now," Thias stood up. "What do you say, you two? I'll officiate."

Arkon and Nessa grinned at each other and hurried to stand before Thias, hand in hand.

"I just happen to have this." Shara turned and took a box from the table. It was one of her most prized possessions that she couldn't bear to leave behind when the time came. From within it she produced a silk net, the very silk net that she and Jamos had used in their own ceremony and she had lent to Soniee and Korkie for theirs.

"Aunt Shara, it would be an honor," Nessa cooed, even though the woman she had always referred to as aunt was about to become her mother in law.

Arkon turned to his brother. "You'll stand up with me won't you, Corns?"

Cornel stood from his seat and passed Mason into his mother's arms. Fiona didn't seem to mind so much holding him when he was sleeping peacefully like a little angel.

"Lana?" Nessa beamed at her best friend and the younger girl skipped forward, happy to be included in the wedding party.

For his part, Aidon followed behind her like a cog.

And then Nessa turned toward her parents. "Momma, will you give us your blessing?"

"Of course!" Maris nodded with tears in her eyes and glanced back at her husband.

"And…" Nessa looked to her step father. "Papa?"

Grigori Tandin swallowed hard with emotion. "You want my blessing as well?"

Happy tears fell down Nessa's cheeks. "You're the only Papa I've ever known. Of course I would never marry without your approval."

They hugged each other tightly.

"Alright, alright, come on now." Thias directed with his data pad already pulled up to the ceremony text. "Let's get this show on the road." He knew his own father had said something of the sort to his aunt and uncle the night he was born. He had heard that story enough times.

Tandin gave the bride a last kiss on the cheek before she faced her groom and joined hands with him so that they could be bound with the net and begin to say the words.

Someone brought a cloak for that tradition to be upheld and the vows were quickly said. After which the newlyweds with a wink and a smile placed the net over the heads of Lana and Aidon.

"So?" Lana grinned up at the Lieutenant.

He immediately dropped to one knee. "I don't really have anything to offer you here but when we're settled… wherever it is we're going… will you…"

She didn't allow him to finish, dropping to his level to kiss him, and practically knocked him over. "Aye! Aye of course!"

...

"Not in a celebratory mood?" Shara walked up to Dalla. "There are dark clouds over us all but I expected a little more from you for Arkon's wedding. I know he's somewhat your favorite cousin."

"Sorry. I'm just a little distracted." Dalla shook her head to clear it.

"Not by the Empire." Shara had sadly grown used to seeing Dalla's worrying-about-the-Empire face, and this wasn't it. "What's on your mind?"

Dalla glanced to a corner of the dungeons and Shara followed her gaze. Bernard lay asleep against the wall, Sandor curled up on his lap. She hadn't been properly introduced to either one but Shara recognized Bernard from his surrogate father's ghostly sketch. "It's about Sanjay?"

Dalla sighed. "You're going to think I'm crazy."

"Try me."

"I saw Sanjay." Dalla said after a long, debating pause. "He visited me in a dream. I guess he had come before and I just didn't realize it was him. I...I don't know why or how he could do that."

"Because he's force-sensitive."

Dalla stopped and stared at her aunt in amazement.

"You're not crazy," she said. "He came to visit me too."

"He said he was 'coming back,'" Dalla whispered. "How is that possible? Even Jedi can't just sit up and come back to life."

"Maybe he meant in another dream. Or there's a mollymauk that flies around the old Rash estate. I saw it right before he visited me."

"It was at the palace too. It's too tame to be a normal bird; it eats out of Ros's hand and let Noah pet it."

Shara nodded confirmation. "Maybe he meant the bird would be coming back."

"He's never felt the need to tell us the bird was coming around. Why would he tell us now?"

"I don't know. But knowing Sanjay he had his reasons."

Dalla let it go. "I guess the only way to find out is to wait."

Just then the peace was shattered by Cornel's voice, louder than usual. "Has anyone seen Fiona?"

Everyone looked around. No sign of Fiona or of Mason.

"Well, good riddance." Dalla sighed. "No one else leaves this bunker. She's no great loss."

"Dalla," Shara reached out to her niece. "I know she can be difficult but she's Cornel's wife. We can't -."

 _"_ _No one leaves,"_ Dalla repeated, staring Shara dead in the eye. "That is my decision and my decision is final. Am I understood?"

Shara blinked in shock. She knew Dalla could do this, she's seen her do it to others. But before today she would have never dreamed of doing it to her aunt.

The silence dragged on and Dalla cocked an eyebrow, demanding a response.

"Aye," Shara said, slowly.

"Good," Dalla replied in the iciest, most regal voice Shara had ever heard and swept back to Lux and her children.

Emoth and Kason practically had to hold their brother down after the order went out.

The only sound in the room came from the little ones until Maris' whisper cut through the silence. "Grigori, what are you doing?"

"Bringing her back."

"What?" Lux shook his head. "No. We can't risk it."

"I won't be out for long. All I have to do is find her, and lead her back here."

"Tandin," Dalla whispered. "Fiona is chaff. She knows nothing, inherits no titles, and is nothing but a drain. She's not worth risking your life and everything you can lend to our continued survival."

Tandin wouldn't be budged. "She has the baby with her and I refuse to let him die." He dropped his voice. "I took this same risk to save both of you, and I never regretted it for a moment. I won't regret this one either."

Lux and Dalla looked to each other in contemplation but didn't give their blessing. Tandin didn't need it. With one more look to his wife and daughter and new son-in-law he raced out of the bunker.

…

"Salt gods, for the last time!" Sloan shouted as Tandin neared the docks. "You are not coming with us!"

"You have to let me come aboard!" Fiona screeched, waking the swaddled baby in her arms. "I'm not leaving Onderon."

"You have to go with the Blackwells. It's not safe for you and the baby, and I'll make sure you still get your child support payments if that's what's worrying you."

"The baby can go." She attempted to thrust Mason into Tandin's arms when he approached. "But I'm staying here. This is my home!"

The end of her sentence died out in a sonic boom and scream of engines from above.

Sloan ran up his gangplank. "The baby needs his mother. You're going! Now get away from my ship so I can get into position. General, get her out of here!"

Tandin grabbed Fiona by the arm and dragged her back toward the Hold, shielding her body with his own. "Don't look back at them. Run!"

The sound of engines grew louder and louder as the Imperial fleet barrelled down on Blackhold from above. Fiona's feet flew not out of any actual desire to get to the Hold, but out of sheer self-preservation.

She couldn't help but look back when she heard the blaster cannons charging behind them. Tandin shoved her ahead. "Go! I left the first door unlocked. Knock on the dungeon door and they'll let you -."

A stream of red exploded around them and Fiona felt Tandin's body lurch as he took the shots.

She didn't think the least of it when he hit the ground behind her. For the first time in her life Fiona took someone else's advice. She held her son tightly in her arms and didn't look back.

She didn't recall anything between that moment and when Cornel opened the dungeon door to let her and Mason in and she collapsed into his arms sobbing. There was no way out. She'd have to leave…

"Lock the door!" Lux ordered and ran forward himself to help Thias and Cade do it.

"Grigori?" Maris pushed her way to the door. "Fiona, my Grigori…" She trailed off as the realization hit.

Dalla closed her eyes in grief but kept composed. "We don't have time to dwell on it. The way it's sounding out there he might just be the first casualty."

"Then what do we do?" Emoth asked. "We don't have a starship to get out and even if one comes, how in salt gods' halls are we supposed to make it to the landing platform through an Imperial invasion?"

Suddenly a deep shudder rocked the building.

Bernard jumped and hugged Sandor close. "Bombs?!"

"That wasn't a bomb. It felt like it came from underneath." Lux looked to his wife in confusion. "But it can't be. Blackhold's not on a fault line."

Shara's and Dalla's heads snapped toward each other.

"He always kept his promises," Shara said.

Dalla nodded. "I think I know what he meant by they were _all_ coming back."


	65. And the Sea Will Give Up Her Dead

**AND THE SEA WILL GIVE UP HER DEAD**

Soniee stood in the hatchway of the B-7 and looked out at the tangled, jungle surface of Dxun. For thousands of years it had been called the Demon Moon by the native Onderonians who lived down on the planet, but she herself had broken its power. Still the place resonated with millennia of history.

"You alright?" Korkie stepped up behind her and gave her shoulders a squeeze. "The transport Senator Organa promised is on its way, and Saw did agree to come and cause a distraction."

She turned to him with a worried smile. "I know we're going to get them out. I just… it's this place, and the waiting. My parents spent their honeymoon here."

He took her into his arms. "You know we have a little time. They managed to find a few moments of peace here during a swirl of chaos. I think I might be able to find a way to get your mind off everything for a while…"

He let the invitation hang between them. They both knew that this particular storm was more than just the betrothal scandal her parents were escaping but she found herself nodding all the same. They closed the hatch and made their way to the cabin to spend their wait in more pleasurable congress.

…

The ground rumbled once more as the thickest fog the north had ever seen surrounded Blackhold.

And then the sea split open and belched up a shining white ship.

Sanya Harkon, captain of the ghost ship _Bloody Galia,_ was the first down the gangplank when they burst through the fog for the first time in a thousand years and scraped onto the beach of Blackhold Isle. She took in the castle, the town, so different from the archaic age she'd left it in and still similar.

She looked back to Jak Blackwell following her down. "It's been a long time since we saw this place."

Jak stretched. "It's been a long time since we were on dry land."

"The last time we were on dry land was the last time we saw this place."

Members of her ghostly crew were also disembarking ready for battle. Ellie and Steela walked down the gangplank a while behind the captain and quartermaster, Steela taking everything in while Ellie looked around the docks like she was trying to find someone.

Steela looked around. "So this is the north?"

"Aye," Ellie answered distractedly.

"Quite the welcoming party." She stepped into a puddle and there was a crunch of ice. "Does it ever get warm up here?"

"Not really." Ellie kept scanning and then froze, turned her entire body to look at something farther away.

"I don't know how —." Steela noticed Ellie and stopped too. "You see him?"

Ellie gazed at Sloan coming in on the deck of the ship he named after her. "There he is."

"Let's clear a path for him, then."

Some more yards out, the sea appeared to be boiling as the heads broke through the surface.

Lana Blackwell emerged first. Dane and Mina Bonteri walked up the shore side by side. Yanara, Suzelle, and Dominic Bralykburn pointed Melaana Kira in the right direction.

"Melaana!" Mina called behind her. "You said that brother of yours was showing up?"

Mel nodded. "He should."

As she said it the mollymauk circled overhead, then dive-bombed into the waves. Sanjay emerged, wiping the water from his beard and wringing out his clothes.

"Gods, I hate this place," he muttered.

"Then why are you even here?" Somebody whispered.

Sanjay shot a glare in their general direction. "Because I love my son more than I hate this place!"

"Enough!" Sanya shouted back to the non-crewmembers. "We're going to be busy enough fighting the Empire."

Then she spotted the body that had already fallen. "Who is that? Was he one of ours?"

Dane Bonteri recognized him immediately. "My old friend Tandin."

Sanjay ran forward to help. "He made sure I got a proper burial."

"Ready to return the favor?" Dane took one of Tandin's arms and Sanjay took the other. Together they dragged him to the water's edge and lowered him below the surface.

Tandin came up in their arms, shaking his head to clear the salt water from his ears and eyes. "What in…" He jumped when he saw who had him. "Dane? Sanjay?!"

"Welcome back, old friend." Dane helped him to his feet. "We came to give the Empire some trouble. Are you in?"

"Definitely."

"Good." Sanya interrupted, a smile spreading over her face. "The Empire's unloading their transports. Who's ready to beat them back to Coruscant?"

The dead's response was a long, loud battle cry.

…

The transport only stayed on Dxun long enough for Soniee and Korkie to dock the B-7 inside and then they were all off to Blackhold.

"Are you sure Saw's coming?" Korkie asked, scanning the stars for evidence of the partisans.

"That's up to him now. But even if he doesn't I know we have more allies already on the surface."

"Who could possibly…" he began.

She smiled at him. " _Nu kyr'adyc, shi taab'echaaj'la_."

His eyes widened. Of course he knew the Mandalorian phrase for the departed, _Not gone, merely marching far away_.

"Not so far away now. My uncle brought them back." Then she saw something out view port and pointed. A ship was just coming out of hyperspace and she knew without having to check the ident screen that it wasn't an Imperial. "And there's Saw, right on time!"

"I still can't quite believe it but you were right." Korkie laughed and patted her on the shoulder as she took the controls of the transport and started to bring it down toward the planet.

He also couldn't quite understand how she could steer the vessel down through the supernaturally thick cloud cover. They had visited Onderon a handful of times together and he had lived there for a few years before they had been reunited. He had thought he understood the weather patterns that kept the northern sea cold year round and ice covered in the winter and the fall rains that produced the verdant jungles nearer to the equator but this was like nothing he had ever seen before.

He couldn't sense the Force like his wife could but he was sure this must have something to do with what she had said about her uncle bringing 'them back'.

Soniee looked out the viewport with wide eyes. If she hadn't felt the confirmation though the force she wouldn't believe what she saw.

Far below Sanya Harkon and her crew tore into the Imperials. It had been so long since they'd had a proper fight they were easily the deadliest members of the ghostly defense. That was, apart from Lana Blackwell. Soniee watched as a woman who could only be Dalla's mother ripped off a stormtrooper's helmet who was heading toward the Hold and slit his throat in one swift motion.

Uncle Sanjay had given up trying to use his force powers. Instead he joined the Bonteris in beating back the invaders with heavy objects.

Elinor Harkon and Steela Gerrera fought side by side cutting through stormtroopers. And just a few steps away was...her mother! Melaana Kira had picked up a fallen sword and fought as hard as any of the pirates or soldiers.

It was a miracle beyond anything she'd ever seen. Soniee felt tears pricking in her eyes but she blinked them away. There was still work to be done.

"Lux," she yelled into her comm link over the noise, "Winter has arrived!"

She barely heard Lux's order of _"Remove the barricades!"_ through the carnage and din. She and Korkie jumped off the transport and ran up the path to the Hold. Far above Saw's ship gave the Imperial fleet everything it had to cause a distraction. The ghosts and a few other living entities held the ground troops back from their path.

Lux heard their footsteps as they descended the dungeon stairs and swung the door open in anticipation, a blaster clenched in the other hand.

"It's the Kryzes!" He lowered the blaster and opened the door all the way, squinting in the sudden light. "Gods am I glad to see you."

Soniee could say the same. "Ready to go?"

"Since yesterday," Dalla appeared next to her husband, holding Noah's hand.

"Then let's go." Soniee only waited for the rest of the parents to grab their children before she led the charge up the stairs.

For all her wanting to stay on Onderon, Fiona was one of the first to push through the crowd into the open air. Perhaps she was hoping to run to the pirates and make one more desperate plea to join them now that Mason was safe in someone else's care. But it wasn't the _Ellie's Revenge_ that she saw through the mist as she squinted at the shoreline.

"It's the ghost ship!" she screamed. "It's the _Bloody Galia_! We're all going to die!"

"Somebody shut her up! She's going to start a panic!" Dalla bellowed, too busy with trying to keep everyone organized to look out and see the supernatural reinforcements for herself.

Cornel and Gretchen reached Fiona at the same time. Gretchen with a sedative hypo and Cornel with his arms free after giving Mason over to his mother. He swept up his unconscious wife as the medication did its work and continued on toward the transport.

But Fiona wasn't the only member of the company to catch sight of their dearly departed as they made their mad flight. Lux froze for a half second when he saw his parents down the path, beating the troopers back. Only the direness of the situation and his daughter's presence brought him back to reality.

Marlon whimpered from his repulsorchair and craned his neck to look longer at the shimmering figure of his beloved Lana as they went by, and she bestowed upon him her gentle smile and a blown kiss.

From far above Saw hazarded a glance to the surface and his eyes instantly filled with tears when the lone figure he could make out came into view. "Steela…"

Out of the corner of his eye Bernard spotted a stormtrooper take aim at him through the hazy figures. Without even thinking he jumped to shield Sandor with his body, but the shot never came. A voice shouted _"NOT MY SON!"_ and Bernard watched in shock as Sanjay Rash tackled the villain to the ground.

Shara also stood for a moment watching the people they had lost fighting so that they could be free. She held her youngest grandson tightly and wondered when they would ever see these shores again.

In the shallows the ghost of Adria Harkon assisted by her daughter Miranda and her granddaughter Maia held an imperial soldier beneath the waves until he stopped struggling. But then she seemed to notice her old friend staring at her.

"Watch over them for me," Addie implored.

"I will," Shara promised.

"Who are you talking to?" Dalla hurried her aunt forward towards the waiting transport.

"Well I was just saying…" but when Shara looked again to point out the Harkon ladies they had faded into the mist.

"We need to get going!"

Dalla had come back for the stragglers after making sure her own son was aboard. She had heard the other's exclamations of seeing strange sights but had been too busy to look up from her task. Now as she did a last head count and looked back over her shoulder, she did see something. But no, it couldn't be…

"Sloan?"

Her older brother's head turned at the sound of her voice and their eyes met. He didn't look like she remembered him, he was older and wore an ostentatious coat the Sloan she knew wouldn't have touched with a ten foot pole. But it was unmistakably him.

She moved to call out to him in the hopes he, ghost or spirit or whatever he was, could hear her. But the transport doors closed before she could.

"We're airborne!" Soniee called from the cockpit. "Pilot, get us out of here!"


	66. Strangers in a Strange Land

**STRANGERS IN A STRANGE LAND**

When her eyelids fluttered open his voice was the only familiar thing she could cling onto.

"Fifi? You're awake."

She blinked away the last of the sedative and turned her head to look at her husband. His smile was reasuringing but his eyes still looked sad or worried or something. It took her a moment to remember all that had happened and then she sat bolt upright.

"Where's Mason?" They may have all believed her to be a terrible mother but he was her son. She did care about what happened to him.

"Shhh…" Cornel attempted to calm her. "He's with my Momma. We thought it would be better if you and I could be alone when you woke up so I could tell you that everything's okay. We're all gonna be alright."

"We've left Onderon then?" She drew her knees up to her chest. "We're in outer space somewhere?"

"We're going someplace safe."

"How do you know that?" She cried. "The last time I left the north and just went down to Iziz Maia ran away and I never saw her again! She left the planet and she was killed!"

"I know you're scared, Fifi. I know it's why you did those things, but it's not gonna be like that for us. We're going someplace safe." He said again. Maybe that's all he had been told about the place but he believed it. "And maybe it'll be better, a place to start over, a new life for you and me and Mason together?"

She was soothed by his words and his arms that he had wrapped around her. He had always been able to calm her when she was little. He was the only one who ever seemed to understand.

"You and me and Mason, together." She repeated trying to believe it herself.

"Aye." He hugged her.

"But right now Mason is safe with your Momma?" Fiona asked, snuggling against him.

"Aye."

"So we can be alone?"

"That's right."

She looked up at him. "We never really did have a honeymoon, did we?"

"I guess we didn't," his cheeks reddened slightly.

"Maybe we could pretend that's what this is."

"Aye, if that's what you want." He swallowed.

"I do, Cornel." She whispered and kissed him. He did make her feel safe. And if he was the only one she could reliably count on she was going to make sure to keep him on her side.

She broke the kiss. "And we'll always be together no matter what?"

"You're my wife. I promised to stand by you and protect you, in the light of the salt gods."

She silenced him with another kiss while internally she squealed with victory.

…

Roisin wandered aimlessly around the transport, bored out of her mind. There was nothing to look at besides the endless blue of hyperspace since they'd made the jump. Though that was for the best. She would rather have boredom than the Empire coming again, dead set on killing them all. The escape had been harrowing. In their mad dash to the transport she saw a hazy figure that looked like a tall woman with short hair. Father said she was Ros's Grandma Mina. But Grandma Mina was dead...

They would be safe on the new planet, Auntie Soniee had told her. No one would ever look for them there. Ros sure hoped so. Mother and Father had tried so hard to keep them calm, but it had to have been a close getaway if they left in such a rush. Ros didn't know if they'd be able to do it again.

She sighed. There was nothing she could do about it here, on a ship hurtling through space. Ros found a spot to sit down and pulled out a book. It was part of a series of mini-mysteries that let you be the detective and solve the crime on your own, and Ros devoured them as fast as she could get her hands on them.

"Is that book number five?"

Ros looked up. A boy about her age stood before her, looking intently at the book.

"I've been trying to get it from the library forever!"

"You like these books too?" This was new. No one else at the Hold shared Ros's love for a good mystery. Mother and Father indulged her, they would read to her every night and taught her how to download books from the library, but they'd never been great fans.

"Yeah," the boy said. "They're the only thing at the school library that's good. But they only had the first four books and somebody had number five checked out at the public one."

Ros nodded her sympathy for library wait lists. "I got this one for salt and light. The library didn't even have the download version available."

"Lucky." His gaze went from the book to her. "Can I borrow it when you're done?"

An idea came to Ros. "I haven't started it yet. If you want, we could read it together and help each other solve the mysteries."

The boy considered for a second before he nodded and plopped down beside her. "Promise not to peek at the answers?"

"Swear." She turned so that he could see the book too when she realized she hadn't introduced herself. "I'm Ros."

"Sandor." He took over holding one side of the book. "Thanks for sharing. What page does it start on?"

The two of them became so wrapped up in the mysteries that they failed to notice anything else until someone exclaimed "Sandor! There you are."

Sandor looked up from the book. "Oh, hi Dad."

"You made a friend?" Sandor's dad nodded to Ros. "Hello, young lady."

"Hello," Ros smiled graciously at him when she heard a loved one of her own.

"Roisin, you can't run off like that without letting your father and I know." Her mother's scolding aside, Ros could sense her relief. "You had us worried sick!"

"Sorry, mother," Ros said as the man turned around in wonder.

Dalla was about to continue speaking to her daughter but the sight of the man stopped her cold. "Bernard. You…"

"I'm sorry!" Bernard struggled not to break down in front of his son. "I didn't know what Janel was doing. I would have tried to stop her if I had known!"

She came forward and embraced him.

"You saved our lives. You did _everything_ you could."

…

On the bridge Lux, Soniee, Korkie, and Saw's holographic likeness waited for Dalla to arrive.

"So what's going to happen to Onderon?" Lux asked, growing tired of waiting. "Now that we're gone there's nothing standing between it and total Imperial control."

"With the northern houses evacuating and the southern houses decimated during the Clone War, there was no one they could prop up as a puppet monarch." Soniee explained. "A Janel Wallace is taking up the position of head minister. She was supposed to be joined by your former advisors."

"I killed Renald but Petyr is still out there. Why isn't he jumping on the opportunity?"

"Well," Soniee grabbed a nearby remote control and used it to flick on the holoscreen."He can't."

 _"_ _In breaking news from Onderon, a formal royal advisor has been found dead in his home, the victim of an apparent drug overdose. Sources claim…"_

"A drug overdose?" Lux repeated. "That can't be right. He didn't use drugs."

 _"_ _How do you know?"_ Saw scoffed. _"Your lying advisor told you so?"_

Lux glared back. "I know because I drug-tested him. This doesn't make sense. It looks like…" His eyes went wide.

"Sorry I'm late," Dalla breezed onto the bridge. "I couldn't find Ros. Where are we?"

"Dal…" Lux gestured to the news holo. "Was this you?"

Dalla looked carefully at the transmission for confirmation and then turned to Lux. "He had to die. I knew he was going to do something to harm us and I had to do something, but I was too slow. He must have gotten the package the night of the assassination attempt. Gods, I should have gotten it there faster. I…" She choked up.

Lux took her into his arms. "It's okay. You couldn't have stopped this from happening. You did the right thing."

Soniee and Korkie stood back respectfully and let Dalla have her moment. Saw did not. _"So, you're allowed to eliminate your enemies, but I'm not?"_

Dalla looked up from her husband's shoulder and shot him an icy glare. "I'm a killer. It's true. But I don't kill innocents."

Saw smiled smugly. _"The only difference between you and me is that you're still pretending you're a -."_

Soniee shut off the comm in disgust.

"Forget about him," Lux said through gritted teeth.

"I'm sorry about that." Soniee sighed. "But you don't have to worry. I never told him where we're taking you."

"Soniee, where are you taking us?"

She smiled. "It's a planet in the outer rim. The funny thing is I actually found it when made a typo while researching the animals of Onderon. It's called Drexel."

"And is it occupied by fire breathing reptavians?" Dalla asked in disbelief.

"No." Soniee laughed. "I believe they have some sea dragons but they are more like your Brylks. It's a water planet, with a few islands, a more temperate climate than the north, but the shipping and fishing should be similar to what you're used to."

"And most importantly," Korkie added slipping an arm around his wife. "It's of no interest to the Empire."

Lux and Dalla smiled at each other. "It sounds perfect."

…

"You failed to mention you would be dropping us off on a floating city," Lux said in the cockpit of the B-7. He and Dalla had stayed behind to have one last visit with their old friends before Soniee and Korkie had to fly away. "Some years ago, I wouldn't have been able to leave the refresher."

"Good thing you got over that," Dalla smiled fondly at the memory.

"You helped me get over it as I recall."

Soniee changed the subject. "You two seem to be settling in well."

"Aye. We don't have the funds we normally would but we still have enough to buy an island and build some houses." Dalla caught sight of Soniee's amused expression and clarified. "And aye, I know buying an island still sounds like a lot."

"Bernard and I are going to start an advertising business through the HoloNet." Lux said. "We'll have credits coming in soon."

"And I'll be putting my pharmacologic knowledge to good use. It won't be funds like we're used to, but we can adapt."

"I'm sure you will." Soniee knew that for all their wealth her friends had always had their feet firmly on the ground. "What about aliases? Have you both decided on names?"

"We have." Lux pulled out a bottle of wine and sat down. "Mr. and Mrs. San Tekka, my name is Lars Murphy and I'd like to introduce you to my lovely wife, Greer."

"Murphy," Soniee repeated. "For your brother?"

Dalla nodded.

Korkie shook both their hands. "Well, I say it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Murphy."

"The pleasure's all ours, Mr. San Tekka." Dalla replied.

Lux uncorked the bottle and started pouring. "To new names and new beginnings?" He began handing out glasses.

"Just water for me," Soniee declined her glass.

Lux's eyes went wide. "No way."

"No way what?" Dalla was confused until she remembered how Hugo had tested her in a similar fashion. "Oh my gods, are you serious?!"

"We are." Soniee hesitantly took Korkie's hand and put it on her belly.

He looked about to faint. "A baby?" He gave a strangled laugh. "And again I'm the last to know."

"You're not the last. This is the first I've told anyone." It really wasn't the way she had wanted to tell her husband.

"But…" Korkie stammered. "How long have you known? Did you wait to tell me because you were afraid I wouldn't let you go on the rescue mission?"

She gave him a look that said there wasn't much he could have done to stop her but then shook her head. "I didn't know then. I didn't suspect until… I saw my mother."

Korkie seemed to be calculating. He knew she had known she was carrying Oron only hours after he was conceived. A few hours before the evacuation they'd been together on Dxun where Soniee herself was conceived on her parents' honeymoon...

Lux jumped into the silence, "You saw your mother. I thought I saw my parents fighting to get us through as well. Dal thought she saw her old First Mate who was like a big brother…"

And then Dalla broke in, "Aren't you scared? My pregnancy with Noah was scary enough but you almost died. And we're so much older now, the risks are much higher and with the galaxy like it is...how could you even think about getting pregnant at a time like this? I thought the two of you were smarter than that?"

"Honey!" Lux placed a hand on his wife's arm to calm her.

"She's right." Korkie went pale. "There are so many risks. How do -."

"It's nothing like the first time," Soniee assured him. "She's strong. We're going to be okay."

 _"_ _She?"_ Korkie's eyes welled up. "We're having a little girl? You know that already? You can sense it?"

"Like I said she's... strong."

Dalla shook her head to clear it. Soniee had had nightmares during her first pregnancy. If she said this one was going to be okay, maybe she could sense something that the rest of them weren't privy to. "Promise you'll text us updates every week?"

"I promise." Soniee reached across the table and took her friend's hand. "We'll keep you informed of everything."


	67. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

This chapter may be called "epilogue," but if you think we're going to leave you hanging prepare to be surprised. Both of us are currently working on the as-of-now untitled sequel and conclusion to the Ashla Spectrum series. This one might be a while away though - there's a lot of ground to cover and knots to tangle and untangle. While you wait, remember we still have an awesome prequel in progress! Sanya Harkon was up to quite a lot before she rose from the dead to defend the north. And speaking of those who defended the north...

...

The green expanses of Yavin IV were nothing like Mandalore, Onderon, or the waterworld Drexel which they had just left after a few months of getting the refugees settled. This was another moon that she and Korkie had discovered and suggested to the Rebels as a base. She could feel Grandfather's connection to the place. It was where he had found the crystals which he had bled and had been set into the dagger and necklace that caused so much trouble back on Onderon.

"Offree San Tekka!" Someone called her name, well one of her names anyway.

Soniee turned in that direction and spotted the speaker. "Shara, how are you?"

Shara Bey was a pilot she had met before when she was working with the rebellion. When Soniee had first heard her name she did a double take since it was the same as her aunt's and she thought the woman might be from Onderon. Now they looked at each other and smiled because they were both obviously pregnant.

"You and Kes have been busy!"

Shara laughed and rubbed her belly. "I know. Life goes on, eh? Even in the shadow of the Empire. We're going to have to start a club: The pregnant pilots of the rebellion."

Before Soniee could even ask, Shara nodded in the direction of some more recent arrivals. A twi'lek pilot also with a round belly was disembarking from a ship with a Lasat and a female in brightly colored Mandalorian armor who flanked her like a personal guard. And there to meet them and make sure they were alright was someone Soniee thought she would never see again.

"Alexsandr Kallus?!"

He turned at the sound of her voice and looked her over with wonder. "Dara Bonteri, I never imagined meeting you here!"

She smiled at the old moniker, going to him and reaching out to take both his hands in hers. "I always knew we'd win you over to our side eventually."

"Did you really?" He leaned towards her and kissed her cheek.

She patted his full growth of beard that had been only carefully trimmed sideburns once upon a time. "This is new."

"And so is this." He patted her belly and then frowned with concern. "Are you well?"

"I am." She smiled and then amended, "We are. She's growing strong and healthy with no complications."

Sandr leaned close to her again. "I believe I once said you might have the opportunity to have another child."

A throat cleared beside them and Kallus stepped back to a more respectable distance seeing Korkie take a stand next to his wife.

"This must be the proud papa."

"Sandr, this is my husband, Lor San Tekka."

The two auburn haired gentlemen eyed each other as they extended hands to shake.

"It's a pleasure," said Kallus with an honest nod. "You have your hands full getting her to slow down and take it easy, I'm sure."

"You don't know the half of it," Korkie grinned and stroked his own beard. He looked so very like his father when he did it that Soniee had the sudden inspiration to approach Senator Organa while they were here and ask him what she had always suspected, if he knew where the Jedi was hiding.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I've promised to take some time off as soon as we make a last trip to Onderon."

"To Onderon?" Sandr questioned. "I thought the royal family had already been evacuated."

"Oh they have." She assured him. "I managed to get Saw Gerrera to help us do it. But my father is still there."

"Your father?" Sandr frowned. Did he still believe that old story that she and Lux were actually half siblings?

"My father, Bremon Kira, has been hiding in the jungles outside of Iziz for most of my lifetime."

"Kira?" he shook his head. He didn't know all the ins and outs of Onderonian politics but he had read a bit of the history while he was stationed there. "Of course you're a Kira."

"I've passed the title on to Lux's daughter when she comes of age, but I still can't help feeling responsible for the place."

Korkie took her hand and squeezed it and smiled supportively at her.

Kallus looked back and forth between them. "Well, I wish you both the very best."

…

There was a new house being built where the Kira estate once stood.

"Surely that can't be for my father," Soniee said as it came into view. "And the Empire wouldn't leave the city."

"They don't look dangerous," Korkie deployed the landing gear for the B-7. "Couldn't hurt to take a look."

As soon as they touched down Soniee knew who was building here. She'd never met the Flints face to face but only one family could be this large.

"Hello!" Wyman Flint approached them with a smile and a hand on his holstered knife. "How can I help you two?"

"We're Roisin's godparents," Soniee introduced them both with the relationship most likely to appeal to the northern lord. "Just passing through. We wanted to see who was moving onto the old Kira lands."

"Well I guess they're the Flint lands now."

Before Soniee or Korkie could ask how the transfer took place a ruping circled overhead and landed beside them, the original owner of the land on its back.

"I allowed Lord Flint to use the land to settle his family since they escaped the north and weren't made welcome in Iziz because they're kin to the queen." He opened his arms and embraced Soniee. "These two are alright, Wyman. You have nothing to fear from my son-in-law and my daughter."

"Daughter…" Understanding dawned on Wyman and that coupled with their identity as Ros's godparents led him into an entirely new topic. "You must have come from settling Dalla and her family! How are they?"

While Korkie filled him in without revealing any sensitive information all of the man's children and grandchildren were running around their new homestead. A few of them appeared to be very interested in the ruping.

Wyman called over to one of the little boys, "Leon, stay away from that thing!"

"It's alright, Grandfather. It likes me!" The boy called while the ruping nuzzled him and gave him a lick like an overgrown cog.

Wyman waved it off. "I guess Grandmother did say we were due for a boom of beast masters in the next generation."

"The next...generation." Soniee trailed off.

While they were talking Soniee seemed to go into a kind of trance. Korkie just assumed that she went back into the B-7 to use the fresher or something. The Flints would understand all about a pregnant woman needing to excuse herself in a hurry.

But when Brem looked over and noticed her come back out of the hatch with her arms full of something and walk with single-minded determination down the path towards the old ruins, it reminded him of Mel walking down the same path 40 years before. He ran after her and then so did Korkie.

"What is she holding?" Bremon asked.

"I think it's the drexl eggs."

They had to climb over some debris from the explosion she had caused years ago but she descended through the tunnels as if nothing was in her way and when she reached the location of the chamber she laid down the eggs.

This place had been the eye of the storm when she came to break the curse of Freedon Nadd. She had found the eggs here and kept them with her for so long. Maybe now she was just returning them.

Korkie started to go to her thinking that that was all there was to it but Brem held him back. And not a moment too soon, because just then she raised her hands and let loose with a stream of lightning from her fingertips directed at the eggs and then collapsed into a faint.

Her father and husband, both ran to her side. She was weak but asked, "Are they alright?"

At first the men didn't know what she was talking about but then they both heard a cracking noise and looked over to see the eggs beginning to hatch. Three baby drexls slithered out of their shells and toddled on shaky newborn legs towards their mother.

She smiled at them as they nuzzled against her and then looked to her father.

"You'll take care of them for me?" she asked him.

Bremon had no words but Korkie shook his head. He didn't like the tone of her voice. "You'll take care of them yourself!"

Soniee put her hands on her belly and frowned up at him.

Korkie was frantic. This couldn't be happening all over again! This time he was really going to lose her! "It can't be time yet!?"

"It's not." She assured him. "I'm fine. She's strong, but it's not her time yet. I'm just going to rest until it's time for her to come. Someone as strong as she is... It wouldn't be safe for her while the empire is still in power. We just need to rest until it's safe."

Soniee laid her head on his shoulder as if all she needed was a good nap but Korkie somehow understood. He kissed her brow.

Bremon watched as his daughter's eyelids fluttered closed. He choked back tears fearing the worst. "Is she… gone?"

"No, she's gone into some sort of trance. I don't know how I know, but I think she'll wake to have our daughter when it's safe."

"How will she know?"

"I don't know." Korkie pet one of the little hatchlings. "Maybe they'll wake her up when it's time."

"Well they can't stay here right now. They'll need to eat and they'll grow fast."

"Is there anywhere on the planet where you might raise them undetected?" Korkie asked his father-in-law.

"Not on the planet. No." Brem looked up at the ceiling as if he could see through the layers of rock to the moon above. "Dxun is their natural habitat."

"I thought you hated it there."

"I can manage, for my grandchildren." He gathered the tiny drexls into his arms.

Korkie arranged Soniee's body onto a table of rock that seemed to be a perfect bed and gave her a last kiss. She looked like a slumbering princess in a fairy tale.

And then as he and Brem left the chamber he thought he heard her voice once more, " _He's alive_."

"He's…" Korkie's head snapped back around to stare at her still form.

" _Ask Bail._ " He heard the words in his head just as if she had spoken them and he knew who she was referring to.

…

He didn't get the chance. When Korkie dropped out of hyperspace in the Yavin system there was debris everywhere. There must have been a huge explosion but what could have been so big to cause this much destruction? He had turned off the comm system for a bit while he dealt with his feelings about his wife's self-induced coma and the possible continued existence of the father he had never truly met.

He worried now that the Empire must have found the base they had thought to be so secret. They must have come and decimated the entire rebel fleet for there to be so much damage. How had Soniee not seen this coming? Or maybe this was exactly what she meant to protect their daughter from.

Korkie hurriedly, while trying to steer to avoid shrapnel, engaged the comm system, and was inundated with the sound of shouts and cheers? He tried to make sense of the noise and chatter.

They had won! There had been a massive space station, something they called the Death Star. It had targeted the base on Yavin IV but before it could fire someone had found and exploited a weakness! All that debris, it wasn't the Rebel fleet.

There was other news also. He tried to follow as he set the B-7 down on the surface of the moon. Alderaan was gone. This Death Star, before they had put an end to it, had completely obliterated the planet as well as the holy city of Jedha.

He couldn't leave the ship at once when he landed. Instead he sat in the pilot's chair weeping for all those they had lost and the great cost of this victory.

Bail and Queen Breha were on the planet when it was destroyed. Their daughter Leia had been a captive on the space station but had been rescued. The rumors said it was an old Jedi and his apprentice who had rescued her. They said that… the old Jedi had died in the attempt.

It couldn't be. It was impossible and yet who else could it be. She had said that he was alive, that he was in contact with the Organas. Could it be that they contacted him for this purpose, to save their daughter?

And who was this apprentice that everyone was talking about? A young boy by the sound of it. Maybe a Force sensitive whom his father had found while he was in exile and decided to train? Most people thought that the Jedi were all gone, but Korkie knew there were those with the Force who never trained at the temple. He was married to one of them.

When he finally made his way off the ship and into the Rebel base there was a ceremony taking place. Medals were being awarded to those who had taken part in the destruction of the Death Star. He applauded along with the rest even though his heart was still breaking for the casualties.

It wasn't until the next day that he got a chance to approach the princess, offering his deepest condolences for the loss of her parents. She was bearing up like a true noblewoman.

"Their sacrifice will not be forgotten," Leia smiled bravely. "I remember you and your wife coming to our home for one of my mother's parties. Is Mrs. San Tekka well?"

"She's…" how did one explain that his wife had gone into a comatose state in order to postpone the delivery of their Force sensitive child? "Having a much needed rest."

Leia nodded. She understood the need for vague answers in their line of work and didn't ask further.

"Your Highness," Korkie continued. "I do not wish to cause you further distress but if I could ask you a question."

"Of course."

"They are saying that a Jedi assisted in your rescue from the station."

"Luke Skywalker."

"Skywalker?" Korkie's eyes widened at the name. It had to be a coincidence. It almost made him lose his tram of thought. His father's apprentice had been Anakin Skywalker during the war. And then he remembered he had heard the name Luke Skywalker during that ceremony yesterday. In fact the name seemed to be on everyone's lips as the pilot who had fired the fateful shot that had saved them all. She was talking about the boy who had stepped up onto the stage to receive a medal with the rest.

"No," Korkie came back to his original inquiry. Though he would return to the topic of Skywalker a later time. "There was an older gentleman?"

"Obi-wan Kenobi?"

"Y-yes!" He answered brokenly.

Concern filled her eyes at his reaction. "He was there. My only hope or so I thought. He died." She said gently and then with more edge added, "He was killed by that monster, Vader, while I was still in my cell. I never got to meet him. My father spoke very highly of him."

Korkie swallowed and nodded, unable to speak.

"Luke knew him. He said Kenobi had begun to teach about the Force. I could arrange a meeting, if you'd like to speak to him?"

"No, no. It's not necessary. Hero of the hour, I'm sure he's busy."

But as it turned out she didn't have to do anything. Just at that moment the young man had come looking for her.

"Leia!" Luke called as he hurried up the corridor. "Mon Mothma's looking for you!"

A droid could have delivered the message but the boy, because he couldn't have been out of his teenage years, maybe even around the age that Oron would have been, gazed at the princess as if she had set the stars in their orbits.

"Luke." She stepped back to indicate that she had been in the middle of a conversation and then she regally made the introduction. "This is Lor San Tekka. He was actually hoping to meet you."

The boy drew his gaze away from Leia to acknowledge his presence and stared intently for a moment. "You look… familiar."

Was he sensing something in the Force?

Leia sensed the awkward moment and covered politely. "You said Mon Mothma wished to see me? Then I'll leave the two of you to get to know each other."

"Y-yeah," Luke did a double take watching her retreat down the hallway. "They wanted to get everyone together for a meeting. Tell them I'll be there in a minute." Then he looked back at Korkie.

Korkie held out his hand. "Lor San Tekka," he introduced himself again.

"San Tekka…" the boy repeated. "I'm Luke Skywalker."

"Yes, I've heard." Korkie grinned and then got right to the point since time was at a premium. "I was told you trained for a short time with Obi-wan Kenobi?"

"Yeah." He frowned sadly. "Not nearly long enough. Did you know him?"

"I always wanted to meet him," Korkie admitted. "He and my mother were friends and I was acquainted with others who served with him in the Jedi Order."

This clearly peaked the boy's interest but he looked back over his shoulder the way the princess had disappeared. "I'd like to talk more about it, but I have to get to that meeting."

"Whenever you get the chance." Korkie nodded.

Luke smiled and rushed off.

Korkie decided to head in that direction as well. He could only guess that the powers that be would be discussing the location of a new base and it was he and Soniee who had discovered this one after all.

…

On Blackhold Isle, Sloan Murphy took all the bottles he could carry and sat down on the icy beach. He'd been sure he would die in the fight to defend the north. After all, Sanya Harkon's ghostly command had been for him to look out for Dalla and he had. Surely the bargain was up and it was his time to sink beneath the waves and go on to be with Ellie.

He'd seen her fighting alongside the Gerrera girl. They'd carved through the Imperials together and he was sure that once the inevitable came he would pop up beside the both of them. But he didn't get a scratch.

All those people dead, and he should be among them. Well, Sloan was going to fix that. He unscrewed one of the bottles, took a good long drink, and quickly followed it with another. Soon enough his favorite poison would take him over and he'd be off to the salt gods' halls.

When he saw Captain Sanya Harkon again he was sure it had worked.

"I did what you said," he slurred, apparently still drunk in death. "I fought to get them away safe. Now I want to go see Ellie and my kid!"

She didn't bat an eye. "You're not done yet."

"Why the kriff not?!"

"Someday they're coming back and you're going to help them when they do. And in the meantime you're going to make it as kriffing difficult for the Empire to run this place as it is possible to do so." She ordered and glared down at him with a look of pure ice. "Do I make myself clear?"

"If I say no, do I get to see Ellie?"

The ghostly captain didn't even glorify him with a response and hurled a knife into his chest, a sharp pain which quickly turned into a wide crushing one when he bolted back into his body..

"My chest!" His eyes shot open and he gasped, the words hurting more than he could imagine. "Oh my salt gods, what did you do to my chest?"

Gretchen sat beside him, looking most unimpressed. "I did CPR on your chest. You're welcome. Good to see you back in the land of the living."

Sloan grunted and looked around. Gretchen had done more than CPR - from the looks of it she'd also pumped his stomach, a job he did not envy her a bit. Petro stood in the midst of the bottles, gathering up the empty ones and watching over Sloan.

"I'm glad you're back too," he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. "I'm not ready to take over as captain yet. I've still got a lot to learn."

Of course he did. When he looked at the young man Sloan couldn't believe he'd been so selfish to try to leave him alone.

He extended his hand. "Help me up, sailor."

Petro hurried to do so and pulled Sloan to his feet. "Aye, captain, sir!"

"Why were you out looking for me?" His crew knew to leave him be when he went off by himself.

"It's the Empire," Gretchen took over for Petro. "They know the Blackwells are gone but they're coming back. My guess is to pick up some of that food we're sending to Iziz.

Sanya's words came back to him as if carried on the wind: _In the meantime you're going to make it as kriffing difficult for the Empire to run this place as it is possible to do so._

Sloan knew he was standing in a strong place, a holy place, a place built by the people society had thrown away and who had refused to die. Who had carved out an existence where no one had dared to go before and then turned it into a place which would defend against those who would destroy it like no other place could.

Gods help them, the Empire had no idea what they were going up against. The blood of a thousand killers roared through every northern vein!

"They're lookin' to pull into our harbor?"

"Aye. We think they'll get here in an hour."

"Good." Sloan grinned. "Let's go kill them."


End file.
